Unmanned Aircraft Use In Border Protection
Roy Sandridge
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide
6.4 – Research: UAS
Mission
Abstract
The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems
(UAS) is on the rise across America and is gaining popularity beyond the
hobbyist, and modeler. UAS has been
effectively used by the military for years, proving themselves as effective in
aerial imagery, communications relay, and even weapons delivery. The applications in commercial, law
enforcement, and border protection use also continues to grow. Closely relating to the proof of
concept/employment provided by the military use, is the use by the U.S. Customs
and Border Protection which has also found UAS to be ideal platforms for aerial
survey, imagery, reconnaissance, intelligence, and surveillance. This paper will look at the applications for
which UAS have been employed and the benefits derived in keeping our borders
safe, including but not limited to aerial survey, and drug interdiction.
Unmanned Aerial Systems in Border Protection
The Predator Choice
The MQ-9 Predator B has found itself in the inventory of
the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Given the political and military conflicts
that have become a normal part of daily news for so long, and the prominence of
unmanned aircraft used in those conflicts, it’s may not be easy for anyone
without a military background to imagine a non-destructive use for an Unmanned
Aerial System (UAS). The Predator
however, may be ideally suited for the role of providing the surveillance
needed.
Design And Implementation
The Predator has proven to be reliable and fault-tolerant,
engineered to exceed the reliability standards in many capacities of manned
aircraft. Engine performance and fuel
efficiency are provided by the Honeywell TPE331-10 turboprop engine, which has
proved to be particularly efficient at low altitudes. The modular payload
capability is easily reconfigured, making it capable of carrying
Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) multi-mode radar, surveillance radar, and a
variety of other sensors making it a highly capable platform. Future designs will have extended wing spans
of 79 feet allowing the aircraft to carry more fuel, and extending its flight
time to as long as 42 hours. (General Atomics Aeronautical, n.d.).
Other platforms that could do the same job
- The Northrop Grumman Global Hawk provides the same capability, but may be cost prohibitive. (Foxtrot Alpha, n.d.)
- MQ-8B has limited time on station making it impractical.(Northrop Grumman, n.d.)
- Solar powered aircraft are being developed, such as the one by Boeing Aerospace (Solar Eagle) and the Zephyr High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) UAS which carries an optical camera at altitudes around seventy thousand (70,000) feet, and these platforms may stay aloft for weeks, perhaps even years but this technology is still under development. (Boeing, n.d., and Airbus Defense and Space, nd.)
Considerations relative to the mission and they correlate to the performance of any related mission execution tasks
The decision makers in the U.S. government have a
challenging task; patrolling the skies to prevent the illegal entry of weapon
of terror, interdicting illegal narcotics, and preventing the illegal entry of
undocumented persons into the United States (U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, n.d.). The question, is can
something that is often misunderstood by so many as being lethal, be the right choice
to accomplish that task. What the
opposition should realize is that the Predator wasn’t first designed to be a
weapons delivery platform. The inventor,
Abraham Karem, had no intention of designing a weapons platform, but rather a platform
for surveillance (Whittle, R., 4/2013).
The employment of the Predator with CBP is much more in line with what
the inventor had envisioned.
Benefits and challenges associated with performing the particular UAS mission
The idea of using a remote sensing capability for border
protection began in 1998, though at that time the idea was a ground-based
“fence” called Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS). That project ultimately failed and the focus
has shifted to using an aerial platform, which itself has had its share of
difficulty. About six months after the
fist Predator was put into use by the CBP, the pilot of one of these aircraft
belonging to CBP crashed it into a hillside after the engine was shut down in
midflight. Today, having overcome many of
the initial challenges, the CBP maintains a fleet of nine Predator B UAS in
three locations; Arizona, North Dakota. and Texas (Michel, A. H., 1/7/15).
Legal and or ethical challenges to the specific mission your are highlighting
The Federal Aviation Administration regulations allow the
CBP UAV operations to exist, given that they have cognizance over the National
Air Space. At the same time, they
restrict the use of UAS aircraft over populated areas. A question for consideration might then be,
if the goal of the Predator is to provide surveillance over an area where
people might be trying to cross a remote area, and there is a concern that an
unmanned aircraft might crash to the ground, is it ethical to put such an
aircraft in that area? In 2011 a professor
at The University of Texas figured out how to intercept Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAV) while in flight (NPR, 7/8/15).
Given the possibility, even if it is remote, shouldn’t the FAA give
consideration the danger? Systems
security should always be a factor when human lives, American or otherwise, are
at risk.
A second consideration is that of privacy. Border protection is a necessary part of our
lives, given the many uncertainties in the world. At least some consideration should be given
to the capabilities presented when an UAS is flying overhead. With the increasing use of UAS and the
incredible high altitude surveillance capabilities they provide, should we all
now assume that when we leave our homes, we are potentially being
observed? Have we given up any and all
reasonable expectations of privacy outside our homes?
References
Airbus Defense & Space, n.d., Retrieved 10/19/15, http://militaryaircraft-airbusds.com/Aircraft/UAV/Zephyr.aspx
Boeing, n.d., Retrieved 10/19/15, http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2010-09-16-Boeing-Wins-DARPA-Vulture-II-Program
Foxtrot Alpha, n.d., Retrieved 10/19/15, http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/why-the-usafs-massive-10-billion-global-hawk-uav-was-w-1629932000
General Atomics Aeronautical, n.d., Predator B, RPA,
Retrieve from http://www.ga-asi.com/predator-b
Northrop Grumman, n.d., Retrieved 10/19/15, http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/FireScout/Documents/pageDocuments/MQ-8B_Fire_Scout_Data_Sheet.pdf
Michel, A. H., (January 7, 2015), Center for the Study of the Drone, at Bard College, Retrived 10/19/15,
http://dronecenter.bard.edu/customs-and-border-protection-drones/
NPR, 7/8/15, Hacking Drones and The Dangers It Presents, npr.org, Retrieved 10/19/15, http://www.npr.org/2012/07/08/156459939/hacking-drones-and-the-dangers-it-presents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, n.d., Retrieved
10/19/15, http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/uas_prog_3.pdf
Whittle, R., (April, 2013), The Man Who Invented the
Predator, Air & Space Magazine,
Retrieved 10/19/15, http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/the-man-who-invented-the-predator-3970502/?no-ist
No comments:
Post a Comment