American Border Patrol Successfully Tests UAV

American Border Patrol ^ | 25 April 2003 | Staff

[JackelopeBreeder]

Live Images From "Border Hawk" Sent Over the Internet

Sierra Vista, Arizona (ABP - April 25)

American Border Patrol (ABP), the high-tech organization that is "shedding light" on the border problem, successfully flew its "Border Hawk," an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and sent live video images from the UAV out over the Internet through the MIST system.

According to ABP president, Glenn Spencer, the success of the UAV test will pave the way to the development of a comprehensive, low-cost system of detection and surveillance along America's borders.

"This is an important step in reaching our goal of showing how technology can be used to solve the border problem," Spencer said.

Spencer said the Border Hawk will be in operation on the border in the next day or so.

[JackelopeBreeder]

UAVs anybody? Right now the coyotes, drug smugglers, and some in our own goverment are having conniption fits.

Glenn does it again!

I can't wait for the howls of outrage from the usual suspects!

Go to the link above -- there's a couple of neat freeze frame shots of the first video.

[JackelopeBreeder]

Ping!

This is the most fun I've had with my clothes on in years.

[Marine Inspector]

bttt.

Good job Glenn.

[justshe]

I can understand how UAVs can be used for detection. But how does that detection translate into apprehension? Or is apprehension NOT the goal?

[JackelopeBreeder]

GPS navigation data. You always know where the UAV is. Just pass the coordinates and body count to the Border Patrol and let them go pick up the clientele.

[Servant of the Nine]

But is it armed?

No need for Hellfire missiles, a simple M-60 machinegun would be ample.

So9

[Salman]

I can't wait for the howls of outrage from the usual suspects!

I guess I must be one of the usual suspects. This bothers me.

How long before UAVs are used for enforcing speed limits, and the like?

[JackelopeBreeder]

The possibilities do seem to be many.

I was thinking more in terms of ejector racks for small payloads -- say smoke bombs to mark locations at ground level for the Border Patrol to home in on.

Maybe small magnetic radio beacons to be dropped on fleeing load vehicles full of illegals or drugs.

[Siegfried]

I can understand how UAVs can be used for detection. But how does that detection translate into apprehension? Or is apprehension NOT the goal?

Of course, I thought of the Hellfire missile angle first, too. But there may be other ways of using this wonderful machine. Perhaps they could rig it with a sprayer dispenser so it could fly low over a group of "wetbacks" and spray them with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light.

Then the border patrol agents could come along with a big black-light attached to their vehicles and the illegals could be seen "glowing in the dark".

There's lots of neat things you can do with those UAVs.

[FITZ]

I can understand how UAVs can be used for detection. But how does that detection translate into apprehension?

I hope they can catch some of the human smugglers ---too many of them don't care if their victims live or die ---they found some carrying a two year old child through the sewer system here. As long as they get their money they don't care.

[madfly]

Wow, this is what you were hinting about earlier this week. Great news. I have to save that link I posted where Cong. Shadegg (AZ homeland security team) now says he is "extremely enthusiastic" about using UAV's on the border! He said the exact opposite at the recent hearings, suggesting urban solutions, ie; guest worker programs. I'll be sending him news of this event also!

Ben Anderson says these cost LESS than the SUV's the border patrol uses now!

I like the ideas of using a spray with a harmless glow-paint and using colored locator smoke bombs.

[janetgreen]

Good news. Glenn Spencer is trying to do what our own government refuses to do. BUMP.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Then the border patrol agents could come along with a big black-light attached to their vehicles and the illegals could be seen "glowing in the dark".

Actually, the sensors in the UAV can see heat. In the '80s we field tested a UAV in southern Texas and were able to see campfires and bodies in the scrub brush at night. We even tracked wild animals from the air. The UAV can designate the position of the people and the border patrol can drive up to them. If they run, they can be tracked. (BTW, we tried to sell our idea to the border patrol back then, but there was no interest.) Too Bad.

[JackelopeBreeder]

Don't think I would go with any sort of spray against humans. Besides, their body heat signature shows up quite nicely on infrared.

Standard paintballs might be good on load vehicles, though. A couple of bright neon pink smears would be kind of hard to miss.

The really neat thing is that we can use the video to look down into all those washes and arroyos that are all but invisible at ground level. And we can see past all that scrub vegetation that blocks any effective ground-level vision past about 100 yards. It's frustrating (and dangerous) knowing that there could be 50 illegals or drug smugglers hiding just outside your vision, especially if you're upwind and no sound or smell is reaching you.

[Publius6961]

How long before UAVs are used for enforcing speed limits, and the like?

Like never?
I assume the restriction on unmanned aircraft is even more stringent than manned ones?
Get a grip.

[txdoda]

Good for Glen.....

Hope we have these up & down the border, before the long hot
summer........hopefully there will be NO body count on the border, SOON.

[Missouri]

The possibilities do seem to be many.

How about dropping some rattlesnakes in front of the illegal-border-crossers to make them turn back?

I heard Australia produced video tapes about the hazards of entering their country illegally. First, if your boat sinks off the Northern coast you have to get by the man-eating sharks, and saltwater crocodiles. Then the desert is full of poisonous snakes. They sent all the tapes to Indonesia I believe and caught some hell from the human rights groups.

Maybe these UAV's could be equipped with a studka drive bomber siren that the Germans used during WW2. Though not fuctionial, it frightened many who heard it.

[JackelopeBreeder]

Don't need to drop rattlesnakes; they'd probably land on ones that were already there. This place is a veritable zoo.

Snakes, scorpions, tarantulas. Black bear, mountain lion, an occasional jaguar. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, coati mundis. Javelina and skunks (both stink). Deer and antelope. Jack rabbits big enough to mate with the antelope -- hence my name...

[SauronOfMordor]

Perhaps they could rig it with a sprayer dispenser so it could fly low over a group of "wetbacks" and spray them with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light.

Paintball gun. With magazine selector to pick from either "marker" pellets or "pepper-spray" pellets

[priceofreedom]

If you havent already heard about it, check out what conchise county Arizona is doing to make our borders a safe place. You can support these great people in many ways and it is worth it. Thttp://this is REAL Homeland Security........ombstonetumbleweed.com/pdf/MilitiaArticles.pdf