Unmanned drone flight over Rio Grande Valley nearing FAA approval
Approval to put an unmanned aerial vehicle into the skies over the Rio Grande Valley will likely come by the end of the summer.
The Federal Aviation Administration expects to clear the surveillance aircraft for flight over the state’s coastal areas and border with Mexico by August to combat drug cartels and human trafficking, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.
The FAA announced earlier this month that it had authorized a drone to fly back and forth between Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Big Bend National Park beginning June 1.
“Adding a UAV will be an additional tool that will be available to our law enforcement officials in the fight against criminal activity on the border,” Cuellar said. “It would provide eyes in the sky that offer real time intelligence to law enforcement so they can better utilize their resources.”
During a meeting last week, FAA Administrator Randolph Babbitt told the Texas congressional delegation that he would expedite a request to cover the remaining portions of the state’s border.
The FAA has been slow to approve unmanned flight in Texas because of safety concerns over its heavy air traffic. Administration approval for the Arizona and Big Bend drones came from a request originally submitted to the agency in 2008.
On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, head of the state’s delegation, filed an amendment to an emergency war supplemental bill to make $144 million available for expanding the Southwest border drone program.
The funding would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to operate at least six new unmanned aircraft and hire systems pilots with the goal of covering the entire U.S.-Mexico border every day of the week.
UAV flights covering the Rio Grande Valley and the coast — which are expected to be based in Corpus Christi — should start shortly after FAA approval.
CBP launched the domestic UAV program in 2005 to support law enforcement in fighting illegal cross-border activity.
Three Predator B drones based in Arizona are currently assigned to the southern border with three others patrolling the Canadian border and the Florida coast.
Each cost $16.4 million with annual operation and maintenance costs of $7.4 million, according to a CBP statement. The aerial surveillance helps U.S. Border Patrol agents to respond to illegal activity and survey remote areas.
First responders also use the Predator B’s capability to provide high-quality streaming video to assist in disaster relief efforts, including during the 2008 hurricane season.
Cuellar, the chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee that oversees border issues, said that CBP will likely look to increase the number of drones based in Corpus Christi once more funding is available.
“It’s a lot of territory to cover for one drone,” said Cuellar, referencing the state’s 1,200 mile border with Mexico and its entire coastal region. “Our intent is to have more than one controlling the coast and the border of the state of Texas.”
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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.
