Posted on 01/02/2018 10:23:39 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
Border Patrol agents are increasingly worried about the threat from drug-cartel-flown drones, after agents spotted 13 drones suspected of carrying drugs across one section of the U.S.-Mexico border in just one four-day period in November.
Cartels are aware that the U.S. lacks the ability to detect the drones, much less to interdict them, making them a choice method for smuggling high-dollar hard drugs into the country, agents said.
They said the fact that they even spotted the 13 drones was serendipitous and only hints at the scope of the real problem.
“We’re seeing an uptick. We flat-out just don’t have the technology to detect these,” said Brandon Judd, an agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council. “The number is just astronomical.”
Security analysts say the problems from drones are tough to oversell. The Islamic State has harnessed drones as delivery vehicles for improvised explosive devices, and top U.S. officials fear those same tactics could be used in the U.S.
Last year, one security blog reported that an intercepted Mexican cartel truck had both a drone and potato bombs, which are crude explosives packed with shrapnel.
Other uses could include tracking the Border Patrol to direct drug loads around them, or even using the drones as defensive shields to make it too dangerous for air support to assist on Border Patrol operations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that oversees the Border Patrol, was unable to point to a policy for handling the dangers posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
“While I can’t provide specifics, I can tell you that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is charged with protecting our nation and will mitigate threats from any direction or any mode they may come,” said Dan Hetlage, a spokesperson for the agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The FAA is okay with these international flights?
They all use GPS, and you can jam that I would think.
France is using eagles to take down drones. I’m not sure I would want to put eagles in harms way.
we need to develop the technology to detect and destroy these.
Drones are really hard to find in flight. Their radar signature is very small. However they do have a return address. That drone flying across our border is controlled by radio signals that say, “here I am.”
Solution is very easy, just kill the signal with a few ounces of C4 on a killer drone. It will kill you.
Hire me- I’m very good with a shotgun.
They would sure make for fun gun practice.
10ga 00 shotgun for the low flying drones.
AR-16’s for those a little higher.
“MAW DUCE’s” for the high flyers.
After that chase them down with A-10”s!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the FreePers
AND Jim Rob!
Bofors would work well if linked to electronics.
Doubt drones could stand up to that.
What, they have no helicopters, shotguns?
"...I’m very good with a shotgun..."
I see no reason why a drone would have to make a transmission. GPS reception would enable a drone to fly its way to any location within its fuel range to within about 15 feet.
If it fails you might have to find it but chances are smugglers will use a large flock of drones and make multiple flights. Any single loss will be of little consequence.
I just bought a small drone for my son-in-law for Christmas. I wonder if it could carry enough payload to make it autonomous?
Build drone hunting drones.
Would there be a reward if i captured a druggee drone?
If so i would hightail it right away to the border with a hunting drone, because i already have it planned on how.
What’s payload?
I’d gues best used for H
Emp towers aimed twards mexico.
Yeah that is it, drone Eagles.
Some of the more sophisticated drones out or programmed and released. You enter a GPS coordinate to fly to and release the drone. The drone flies to that location and lands. No other intervention is needed by a hand held device to fly or land.
I worked with a SAR group that had one of these outfitted with video stream that flew a set grid then came home before it ran out of battery for its motor. The vid stream was analyzed while it flew with no need of boots it that grid. This tool was amazing. It cost 50gs 12 years ago for aircraft and all hardware/software to control it. It was a fixed wing craft that kinda looked like a B2 stealth bomber. This craft could stay airborne for roughly 2 hours running a 3 phase AC motor for one prop in the back
I am sure with the advancement of the technology and the money that the Cartel has and the money that drugs bring in they can afford large scale drones similar to what we use in the military to carry 300-500 pound payloads and fly hours to get to their destinations.
That and coke, I’m guessing.
Directed-Energy Weapons exist and they increase the temperature of targeted surfaces. At high decibel levels the targets will catch fire and/or explode. ...Might be used to down drones.
Does the FAA still forbid shooting those things as they spy or bring drugs on us? What utter bull sht
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