U.S. Customs and Border Protection Adds to Border Unmanned Aircraft Fleet

Dec. 28--U.S. Customs and Border Protection received a new unmanned aircraft system Tuesday, bringing to six the total number of such systems that can be deployed to the Southwest border.

The new Predator-B is also the fourth unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, to be based at the National Air Security Operations Center in Sierra Vista, Ariz. Officials said UAS flights from that location provide aerial surveillance for U.S. border security officers on the ground along the border.

"Basing a fourth UAS in Sierra Vista will best posture CBP for rapid deployment throughout the southern tier of the United States and the Western Hemisphere," CBP spokeswoman Gina Gray said.

The CBP now has nine unmanned aircraft systems operating in the United States -- six in the Southwest, two in North Dakota and one in Florida.

"Contrary to its popular nickname, the CBP Predator-B is not a 'drone,' " CBP officials said. "It is a remotely piloted aircraft, operated in real-time. ... Combined with other advanced technology both on the ground and in the air, the pilots, the aircraft and its support equipment comprise a far more sophisticated and flexible system than the 'drone' nickname implies."

The Predators assist with counter-drug operations and other Homeland Security missions, including disaster relief and humanitarian support.

Since the UAS program began in 2005, the aircraft have helped with the seizures of about 46,600 pounds of illegal drugs and the detentions of about 7,500 people

suspected of taking part in crimes along the border, CBP officials said.

Unmanned aircraft systems aren't cheap. The government bought the first Predator-B for CBP in 2005 for $14 million. Others costs, such as a flight hour, maintenance and other support, add to the overall expense.

Earlier this year, U.S. lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office to report on the costs associated with using the military, and such aircraft, to assist with border security.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, released a report in September titled "Observations on the Costs and Benefits of an Increased Department of Defense Role in Helping to Secure the Southwest Land Border," which included the use of unmanned aerial systems.

"For (fiscal year) 2011, DOD Comptroller reported that an MQ-1 B (Predator) and an MQ-9A (Reaper) cost $859 and $1,456 per flight hour, respectively," the report said. The figures cited did not include maintenance and other expenses.

The GAO said that for fiscal year 2010, the Department of Homeland Security "reported that its Predator-B (a variant of DOD's Reaper) costs approximately $3,234 per flight hour. This is the total direct and indirect cost, including fuel, maintenance, support services, and labor."

The Predator-B, also called the Guardian, provides a mission duration of 20 to 30 hours, depending on mission configuration and operational parameters, the GAO said. It can attain an altitude of 50,000 feet, reach an airspeed of 252 miles per hour and carry a payload of up to 3,000 pounds.

The Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to get up to 24 drones by fiscal year 2016, 11 of them for the Southwest border.

The GAO report compared the drone costs to a program that JTF-North operates in support of civilian law enforcement.

For example, the GAO said, JTF-N's Big Miguel Program, an aerial surveillance mission that began in fiscal year 2011:

-- Contracted a Cessna with forward-looking infrared sensor.

-- Costs $1.2 million a year.

-- Assisted in the apprehension of 6,500 to 8,000 undocumented immigrants and the seizure of $54 million in marijuana.

JTF-North, based at Fort Bliss, is a joint service command that includes active-duty and reserve military members, Defense Department civilian and contract support staff. Part of the U.S. Northern Command, it supports law enforcement in identifying and interdicting transnational threats, such as international terrorism, drug-trafficking, immigrant smuggling and weapons of mass destruction.

The GAO also found that manned aircraft flights in fiscal year 2011 for a UH-60A (Blackhawk) helicopter and a C-12 (King Air) airplane cost, respectively, $5,897 and $1,370 per flight hour.

The GAO said that it had limited information to work with and that the Department of Defense and DHS sometimes reported different cost figures, possibly based on the factors included in their cost reports and the fiscal years covered.

The federal government's fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6140.