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.
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?
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.