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13 December 2002
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-asecdrones13121302dec13.story |
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Now the Coast Guard is planning to bring the latest in battlefield technology to the waters off Florida. The maritime service, set to join the new Department of Homeland Security, is planning to deploy flying drones, remote-controlled aircraft similar to those now used for wartime surveillance, to patrol the nation's coastal regions for security threats. Officials say the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, will enable them to extend their reach into offshore waters by monitoring larger areas less expensively and more efficiently. The rapidly emerging technology gained prominence last month when the CIA used a Predator drone outfitted with a Hellfire missile to blow up suspected al-Qaeda operative Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi as he traveled along a desert highway in northwest Yemen. Al-Harethi and five others were killed in the attack. Coast Guard officials say they have no plans to arm their drones, which also may be used to spot drug runners, locate undocumented migrants and assist in search-and-rescue missions on the high seas. "They're going to serve the same purpose our existing aircraft serve," said Lt. Tony Russell of Coast Guard District Seven in Miami, which covers the Southeast and the Caribbean. "They're going to increase our maritime domain awareness." The acquisition of up to 76 drones nationwide, set to begin within four years, is one part of Deepwater, the Coast Guard's $17 billion program to replace aging equipment and respond to new security challenges. The program also includes the purchase of up to 91 ships, 35 planes and 34 helicopters and upgrades of up to 49 cutters and 93 helicopters currently in use. "Deepwater will enable the Coast Guard to continue to perform its mission and improve on it," program spokesman Seth Winnick said. "The UAVs will provide a technological capability that will allow us to be even more efficient." More than patrols Offshore patrols are just one domestic use for which drones are being considered. The Department of Transportation is investigating their use in watching over oil and gas pipelines and monitoring the shipment of hazardous cargo. Early next year, the Department of Defense is planning to gauge their suitability for tracking drug-smuggling aircraft on a test run up South and Central America. The Coast Guard is planning to purchase two designs. Bell Helicopter's vertical-launch Eagle Eye tilt-rotor aircraft, set to enter into service in 2006, may fly for about five hours at a time at altitudes of up to 14,500 feet. Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk fixed-wing aircraft, to follow a decade later, can stay aloft for about 30 hours and reach a height of up to 65,000 feet. The Eagle Eye and Global Hawk both may be outfitted with cameras, radar or other sensors to search or spy on faraway stretches of ocean, loitering for extended periods if desired. Both are less expensive to purchase, maintain and operate than traditional manned aircraft. The Eagle Eye, which the Coast Guard estimates will cost $2.5 million to $3 million each, may be launched from the 425-foot National Security Cutter or the 341-foot Offshore Patrol Cutter. It may be controlled by a pilot stationed aboard ship or on the ground. Details unavailable Officials say details of where and how the drones would be deployed have yet to be finalized. Likely assignments include monitoring offshore waters for the smuggling of narcotics, individuals and weapons. "UAVs will be the over-the-horizon eyes for the cutters," said Chief Petty Officer Phyllis Gamache-Jensen of Coast Guard District One in Boston, which covers the Northeast. "Homeland security is really about situational awareness. The more technology we have, the more capability we have." Mixed reviews Drones earned mixed reviews during the war in Afghanistan, where the first two Global Hawks pressed into service ultimately crashed. Vulnerable to difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions, unmanned aircraft also have gone down over the no-fly zones in Iraq. "They're less flexible, and you will take higher attrition rates than with manned aircraft," said Colin Robinson, an analyst at the independent Center for Defense Information in Washington. "They can serve a purpose, as long as you're willing to spend the money and work within the limitations." Robinson said those limitations include the inability of cameras and sensors to monitor an area as well as a trained pilot. "But for a wide range of uses, that's not critically necessary all the time," he said. Pat Garrett, an analyst for GlobalSecurity.org in Virginia, said drones would not replace the Coast Guard's manned aircraft, but can add value as part of a larger fleet. "It's going to give you additional range and reduce the time it takes to get aircraft on scene," he said. "It's really going to be an important tool for the Coast Guard. It will help them in every aspect of their mission, during wartime and peacetime." Matthew Hay Brown may be reached at mhbrown@tribune.com or 787-729-9072. Copyright © 2002, Orlando Sentinel
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13 December 2002
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http://www.ctnow.com/news/nationworld/hc-drones1213.artdec... |
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The U.S. Air Force has deployed them to monitor military movements in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. The CIA dispatched one recently to kill a suspected al Qaeda leader in Yemen. Now the Coast Guard is planning to bring the latest in battlefield technology home to the Atlantic Coast. The maritime service, set to join the new Department of Homeland Security, is planning to deploy flying drones, remote-controlled aircraft similar to those now used for wartime surveillance, to patrol the nation's coastal regions for security threats. Officials say the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, will enable them to extend their reach into offshore waters by monitoring larger areas less expensively and more efficiently. The rapidly emerging technology gained notoriety last month, when the CIA used a Predator drone outfitted with a Hellfire missile to blow up suspected al Qaeda operative Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi as he traveled along a desert highway in northwest Yemen. Al-Harethi and five others were killed in the attack. Coast Guard officials say they have no plans to arm their drones, which also may be used to spot drug runners, locate undocumented migrants and assist in search-and-rescue missions. "UAVs will be the over-the-horizon eyes for the cutters," said Chief Petty Officer Phyllis Gamache-Jensen of Coast Guard District One in Boston, which covers the northeastern United States. "Homeland security is really about situational awareness. The more technology we have, the more capability we have." The acquisition of up to 76 drones nationwide, set to begin within four years, is one part of Deepwater, the Coast Guard's $17 billion program to replace aging equipment and respond to new security challenges. The program also includes the purchase of up to 91 ships, 35 planes and 34 helicopters and upgrades of up to 49 cutters and 93 helicopters currently in use. "Deepwater will enable the Coast Guard to continue to perform its mission and improve on it," program spokesman Seth Winnick said. "The UAVs will provide a technological capability that will allow us to be even more efficient." Offshore patrols are just one domestic use for which drones are being considered. The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating their use in watching over oil and gas pipelines and monitoring the shipment of hazardous cargo. Early next year, the Department of Defense is planning to gauge their suitability for tracking drug-smuggling aircraft by conducting a test run up South and Central America. The Coast Guard is planning to purchase two designs. Bell Helicopter's vertical-launch Eagle Eye tilt-rotor aircraft, set to enter into service in 2006, may fly for up to five hours at a time at altitudes of up to 14,600 feet. Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk fixed-wing aircraft, to follow a decade later, can stay aloft for 30 hours and reach a height of up to 65,000 feet. The Eagle Eye and Global Hawk both may be outfitted with cameras, radar or other sensors to search or spy on far-away stretches of ocean. Both are less expensive to purchase, maintain and operate than traditional manned aircraft. The Eagle Eye, which the Coast Guard estimates will cost $2.5 million to $3 million each, may be launched from the 425-foot National Security Cutter or the 341-foot Offshore Patrol Cutter. It may be controlled by a pilot stationed aboard ship or on the ground. "They're going to serve the same purpose our existing aircraft serve," said Lt. Tony Russell of Coast Guard District Seven in Miami, which covers the Southeast and the Caribbean. "They're going to increase our maritime domain awareness." Drones have earned mixed reviews during the war in Afghanistan, where the first two Global Hawks pressed into service ultimately crashed. Vulnerable to difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions, unmanned aircraft also have gone down over the no-fly zones in Iraq. "They're less flexible, and you will take higher attrition rates than with manned aircraft," said Colin Robinson, an analyst at the independent Center for Defense Information in Washington. "They can serve a purpose, as long as you're willing to spend the money and work within the limitations." Robinson said those limitations include the inability of cameras and sensors to monitor an area as well as a trained pilot. "But for a wide range of uses, that's not critically necessary all the time," he said. Pat Garrett, an analyst for GlobalSecurity.org, a Virginia-based firm that researches military and security issues, said drones will not replace the Coast Guard's manned aircraft, but can add value as part of a larger fleet. "It's going to give you additional range and reduce the time it takes to get aircraft on scene," he said. "It's really going to be an important tool for the Coast Guard. It will help them in every aspect of their mission, during wartime and peacetime."
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12 December 2002 |
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http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/121202sia.htm |
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An increasing number of federal agencies are pursuing plans to use pilotless surveillance aircraft to help patrol the Mexican and Canadian borders, protect the nation's major oil and gas pipelines and aid in other homeland security missions. Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said in an interview Tuesday that he will ask President Bush to explore the possible deployment of such aircraft, known as unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, by civilian agencies responsible for homeland security. The drones would be similar to those used in high-profile missions by the CIA and U.S. military to target suspected Taliban and al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan. But unlike many of the UAVs deployed overseas, such as the one that fired a missile at a carload of suspected terrorists in Yemen last month, the drones flown for homeland security operations would not be armed with weapons, only cameras or sensors, several federal officials said. "I think it would be very important that the president initiate a study on the future use of UAVs by elements of the federal government other than the military," Warner said. Warner said he believes UAVs could be an effective means of watching the home front in the war on terror. But he acknowledged that "they're quite intrusive." Warner said concerns about individual privacy, such as those raised when the Pentagon offered to do aerial surveillance during the recent hunt for the Washington-area snipers, are "an open issue and should be addressed by the [president's] study." Among the agencies now committed to deploying UAVs are the Coast Guard and Border Patrol, both of which are moving to the Homeland Security Department. Other non-Defense Department agencies, such as the Transportation Department, are in the early stages of exploring possible security roles for drones. Meanwhile, the Energy Department, which set up a UAV program in 1993 to study clouds and climate change, has been developing high-altitude instruments to measure radiation in the atmosphere. Despite an industry rumor that the FBI is looking into UAVs at its Quantico, Va. facilities, an agency spokesman said there is no such activity. Drones, which are controlled remotely on the ground, can hover over an area for hours, sometimes days, to provide accurate and timely information. In the war on terror, the military and CIA have used UAVs for reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, bomb damage assessment and telecommunication relays over hostile areas, without risking the lives of aircrews. San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. has supplied the Predator, which can operate up to 25,000 feet, compared to the 40,000-foot ceiling of commercial airplanes. Northrop Grumman Corp. of Los Angeles has produced the still-experimental Global Hawk, which can fly up to 66,000 feet and rival the venerable U-2 spy plane in reconnaissance capabilities. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, interest in UAVs among federal agencies has swelled, industry sources said. "There's been a lot more activity over the last couple of months," said one manufacturing executive who asked not to be named. "It's been really intense. We're doing things now that we wouldn't have been doing a year ago." "These [UAVs] are hot," said Daryl Davidson, executive director of the Association for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems International. Marketers for Boeing, Northrop Grumman and other top U.S. defense firms have been busy talking to agencies about civilian applications of UAV technology, he said. Indeed, Boeing, which received a defense contract earlier this year to develop a fuel-cell propulsion system for UAVs, hopes to sell to civilian agencies high-endurance drones that can fly for weeks instead of days, said Chick Ramey, a company spokesman. Lockheed Martin has been shopping around its small Sentry Owl, which the Air Force has used to provide surveillance at air bases, as a tool for property monitoring and pipeline security. At the Transportation Department, Ellen Engleman, administrator for Research and Special Programs, said she will host a conference on UAVs and transportation security early next year. Her agency began working with NASA nearly four years ago to develop high-altitude sensors, at first to monitor traffic flow and help highway planners but also now to follow trucks carrying hazardous cargo and watch for "irregular activity" at major pipelines, according to her spokesman, James Mitchell. "UAVs could be very valuable to enhancing security, as long as you can get a real or near-real time look at the pipes with some sensors that can detect irregular activity," Mitchell said. At Engleman's direction last April, the agency solicited research proposals for using UAVs to monitor pipelines but so far has failed to find an acceptable submission, he said. Last month, the Coast Guard's prime contractor for its $17 billion Deepwater modernization program began formal contract talks with Bell Helicopter Textron to buy the first eight Eagle Eye UAVs, part of a fleet of 69 high-speed drones that would take off vertically from the decks of the service's planned new National Security Cutters. Beginning in 2006, these drones would be used to locate drug runners, illegal migrants or boaters in distress, a Coast Guard spokesman said. Plans also call for the deployment by 2016 of seven Global Hawks for high-altitude maritime surveillance missions. In August, the Border Patrol, aided by three Pioneer UAVs operated by the U.S. Marines, nabbed about 100 pounds of high-grade marijuana and several people who were trying to smuggle it across the Canadian border into Idaho. Mario Villareal, a Border Patrol spokesman, said an interagency surveillance operation was launched in July after the Forest Service detected illegal entries along the Idaho border. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., who observed the Border Patrol operation, asserted recently that the smugglers had been sending their drug proceeds "back to Muslim groups in Canada, and the money is used to finance terrorist activities all over the world." Since 1999, the Border Patrol and military services occasionally have teamed up for UAV surveillance demonstrations along the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas, according to industry officials. Villareal said his agency had no plans to buy its own surveillance drones, explaining that working with trained military UAV operators along both the southern and northern borders has proven to be effective. Asked if his agency expected to make greater use of UAVs, he replied: "I wouldn't rule it out." Tancredo is delighted that military UAVs are supporting the Border Patrol's security mission. An outspoken advocate of using military muscle along the border, Tancredo declared, "We have the technology to aid in this. I saw it with my own eyes. It can work." A spokesman for Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services research and development subcommittee, offered more conditional support, emphasizing that the technology must work and civilian agencies seeking to buy UAVs must use their own money, not the military's. Besides money, regulatory and reliability hurdles must be overcome before UAVs can fly homeland security missions, market analysts said.
The industry has been talking with the Federal Aviation Administration about simplifying the process for authorizing UAV flights in U.S. civilian airspace, but "it's
going to take a while to get there," said Davidson, the trade group executive.
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