Feature: Border Hawk drone flies

United Press International ^ | 6/23/03 | Steve Sailer

[Fiddlstix]

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[archy]

All UAV currently flying today both in military hands and the hands of the CIA are flown by rated pilots.

One of the guys who worked for my former flight department left right after 9/11 to go and fly UAV’s.

But they're not all officer rated pilots....

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[autoresponder]

It is a start...

[archy]

So, I was intrigued to hear from Glenn Spencer, head of a group of activists opposed to illegal immigration, that he was testing surveillance drones over the Arizona-Mexico frontier.

Glenn Spencer and the ABP aren't the only ones who've been testing border surveillance drones on the Arizona border....

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[concentric circles]

Ridge says unmanned drones could be patrolling borders by end of the year
5/22/03 Unmanned aerial drones similar to ones used in the war on Iraq could be patrolling the U.S. border by the end of the year to help stem illegal immigration and increase security, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said ... "We are very serious in looking at UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) for both border applications, land and sea," Ridge told the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

Now, how many Hellfires will this little bird carry?

Hmmm...

[AAABEST]

RE: #25

VERY ENCOURAGING!

If Ridge does this I promise I'll stop calling him a fat-faced pro-death RINO.

[DannyTN]

"The ABP will sadly conclude, after their experience, that it is cheaper to acquire, operate and maintain a light, civilian aircraft with a flight crew of two than it is to attempt to operate an autonomous, integrated, night surveillance system utilizing UAVs. "

I don't buy it. If you can put the machine up there for $30k. If it lasts just 3 years that $10k a year.

As to software, I am sure the government has the specifications down that they want and can turn to other developers if the current developers try to jack the price up too high. It might mean that it's a few more years before they are being used in mass, but it's still a brilliant idea. And you can be sure the government isn't going to pass on it, because a couple of developers are going to get greedy.

[DoughtyOne]

Okay, my money is on Ridge actually refering to all that "just terrible" illegal immigration that transpires on our northern border. That's where the real problem is, don't sha know.

If he is talking about our southern border, I'll have to sit down for a few days so I don't faint.

Still, drones to interdiction is one hell of a divide.

[JackelopeBreeder]

But the liberal minister claims that "American Border Patrol is actually the most dangerous organization of all," calling Spencer an ideologue who advocates "culture war."

No, Reverend Hoover, we're the most dangerous because we publicize the issue and shine the light on government and political stupidity.

Our local Border Patrol agents could slam the border shut if they had a few more resources and less interference from the morons in their management.

Watch for the shrieking to start in earnest soon, folks. Glenn wasn't joking when he announced that ABP is busy planting sensors on popular illegal alien trails, with full cooperation from the landowners. The Aztlan crowd is gonna have a major hissy fit.

Oh -- and the UAVs and sensors are much more refined and sophisticated now in comparison to when Steve saw them weeks ago.

[Amerigomag]

If you can put the machine up there for $30k.

That's one (1) UAV for $30K - $50K. A minimum of 4 are needed for 10/7 coverage of 100 square miles and then there's the communication package which involves mutipule, ground based transceivers/relays or a satellite subscription or a an aerial communication relay platform with a 10 hour endurance.

For those from Rio Linda that's about US$1M to cover two canyons for 10 hours each evening for a year.

[concentric circles]

Another item of interest:

Border security plans alarm some
5/30/03 Miles of taller, more imposing fencing along with new roads, dozens of more powerful stadium lights and new permanent Border Patrol facilities at Willcox and Nogales are being considered along the border, federal reports show.

...The Border Patrol plans are outlined in a series of environmental assessments for projects under review.

Among them is a proposal for more than 22 miles of 15-foot-tall metal or concrete fencing that would be backed by 18 miles of a secondary chain-link fence topped with razor wire and separated by a restricted-access road.

At Nogales, the Border Patrol plans only one mile of new fencing and two miles of road. But it also proposes 15 new remote video cameras along the border and another 60 portable light units.

...Plans also include Operation Desert Grip, which would allow three Border Patrol encampments in Organ Pipe National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Four more encampments are planned on the Tohono O'odham Reservation but are included in a separate environmental review.

...The Border Patrol's long-range fencing plans would close off nearly two-thirds of the Arizona border with Mexico...

[DannyTN]

"For those from Rio Linda that's about US$1M to cover two canyons for 10 hours each evening for a year. "

That still not bad compared to the alternatives. Plus I don't know if you depreciated the equipment and software over 3-5 years, but you should. They have to pay for it up front but they don't have to pay for it again until it wears out. There will be 15% annual maintenance on software typically in addition to the depreciation.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Immivaders won;t be caught by the feds, so someone's got to do it. The Border Patrol isn't funded to do the job, on purposes.

[Terp]

[brianl703]

A single transciever with the antenna located atop a tower would suffice if the drones have line-of-sight view of it with no obstructons.

[Travis McGee]

They are packed in a special crate for ruggedness, and are made of a new tough foam for ruggedness on landing. And they are cheap, so the unit deploys with several spares. They employ a pusher prop so landing is not hard on the craft. They launch with a bungee slingshot. Once airborne they fly autonomously to their assigned area. Mid course guidance is done on the laptop to wireless. A unique feature is their orbit mode, where they keep an assigned target in the center of their pattern on video for prolonged observation. The computer does all "flying" chores. It only takes a couple days to train an operator.

[JackelopeBreeder]

Good observations by both of you, but ABP develops and fabricates most of the equipment (and software) we use. Cochise County may be the original ass end of nowhere, but it is also the home of the Army Intelligence Center, Signal Command, and the Electronic Proving Grounds. There is a lot of local talent here.

The real key is the ground sensors; they tell us which areas are active. The UAVs don't launch until they have a target. They are only an airborne camera platform. Yes, UAVs are sexy right now, but we limit ours to just the capabilities we need. We do not need Milspec ruggedization that only adds weight and expense and cuts into endurance and payload capacity.

We have not eliminated the ground element, either. The Hawkeyes are still finding good trails for the sensors, turning in aliens to the Border Patrol, and will continue to chase the UAVs to the targets. Aerial video is nice, but nothing matches the up-close "deer-in-the-headlights' look when a bunch of illegals find themselves staring into a video camera from ten feet away. Especially if the camera man is flanked by several ugly loco gringos and Border Patrol agents.

[Myrddin]

Pretty good stuff. I'll have to content myself with model rockets for the time being. As long as I can lay my hands on Estes motors.