The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to fly drones along a greater portion of the 5,500-mile border the United States shares with Canada to help spot illegal activity, DHS officials told Congress on Friday.
The remotely controlled planes are variants of Pentagon drones and are more effective at spotting drug smugglers than ground patrols or manned aircraft, officials said. Unmanned aircraft also provide more coverage, better imagery and longer flight durations, GAO said. However, the drones are also less adept than manned planes at spotting and avoiding other aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized DHS to operate the drones along the northern border between Spokane, Wash., and Minnesota, John S. Beutlich, director of the northern region office of air and marine operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said. FAA formed an interagency committee to decide whether to increase the drones' airspace access across the United States and DHS is hoping FAA will "bridge the gap" between the eastern portion of the current authorized area down to the New York region, said Beutlich.
"This is a very heavily air-trafficked area when you consider the amount of commercial aviation," he said. "So we're working with the FAA, because of the safety concerns that we have to have for the general aviation airspace to make that happen."
DHS plans to expand its current fleet from seven drones to 24 by fiscal year 2016, GAO auditors reported
