Coast Guard interested in (Predator) Customs prototype

[unhappycamper]

This photo shows a non-maritime variant of the Predator landing in South Dakota after deployment for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Coast Guard and CBP will be testing a maritime variant of the Predator in January in Cape Canaveral, Fla.


Coast Guard interested in Customs prototype
By Susan Schept - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 28, 2009 8:12:44 EST

The Coast Guard and Customs Border Protection will be testing a prototype of the Predator unmanned aerial system in January, according to the Coast Guard. The testing will be based in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The sister agencies within the Department of Homeland Security modified a Predator MQ9B, which had a mishap last year, said Lt. Cmdr. Damon Williams, a liaison with the Coast Guard/CBP joint program office in Washington. The Predator MQ9B, also known as Predator B, is made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and is owned by CBP.

The Coast Guard has been working with CBP to come up with its own version of Predator B, which CBP uses to patrol along the U.S. border with Mexico. The Coast Guard stood up its own UAS training branch in August in Mobile, Ala., to work on those requirements and create training policies.

Eventually, the Coast Guard will field its own UAS, and pilots will train in Mobile; but the service has not settled on a system yet. It is likely it will have two versions, Williams said. One will be similar to Predator B, which is land-based. The other will be a much smaller version that can be launched from cutters, he said. The Coast Guard is field-testing a cutter-based UAS, the Fire Scout, aboard the Navy frigate McInerney.

So far, the Coast Guard has trained three pilots at CBP facilities to use Predator Bs. Coast Guard Lt. Scott Bennett, a pilot with the CBP/Coast Guard joint program office, became qualified Oct. 31. He also flies HH-60s helicopters.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/11/navy_coastguard_predator_112809w/

[MineralMan]

1. And, before you know it, local police departments

are going to start adding these to their surveillance arsenal. Guaranteed.

It's for the children, you know...