Introduction

 Troops patrolling boarders and surveying land are unable to do their job as efficiently as possible both during wartime and out of wartime.  Troops are known to patrol and survey land and when they leave, intruders often try to penetrate boarders often times transporting illegal items and drugs.  Lack of adequate personnel to survey land and protect borders while being unnoticed poses a threat to security.  National and international borders are all susceptible to intrusion even with patrolling on a regular basis.

The Middle East

The United States

The Predator

Potential Issues: Analysis of Proposed Technology

 Primary Function: Armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition Contractor: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated Power Plant: Rotax 914F four cylinder engine Thrust: 115 horsepower Wingspan: feet (16.8 meters) Length: 27 feet (8.22 meters) Height: 6.9 feet (2.1 meters) Weight: 1,130 pounds ( 512 kilograms) empty Maximum takeoff weight: 2,250 pounds (1,020 kilograms) Fuel Capacity: 665 pounds (100 gallons) Payload: 450 pounds (204 kilograms)  Speed: Cruise speed around 84 mph (70 knots), up to 135 mph Range: up to 400 nautical miles (454 miles) Ceiling: up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) Armament: two laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles Crew (remote): Three (pilot, sensor operator, and mission intelligence coordinator) Initial operational capability: March 2005 Unit Cost: $20 million (fiscal 2009 dollars) (includes four aircraft, ground control stations, and Predator Primary Satellite Link) Inventory: Active force, 130; ANG, 8; Reserve, 0

 Can replace manned reconnaissance on the ground  Can go undetected to the human eye with the ability to fly 25,000 ft in the air.  MQ-1 can carry a payload of 450 lbs  Controlled remotely from ground control far away from action  Operates not by itself but using: a ground control station, a Predator Primary Satellite Link, operations crews and maintenance crews for deployed 24-hour operations

 Background  Driving in a Ford Explorer  Driving at a constant speed of 60 mph  10 min. head start to drive anywhere in the Mojave Desert

 Cost effectiveness when doing reconnaissance in both small and large areas.  Loss of life is minimized.  We can do reconnaissance without being spotted, due to ability to climb to such a high altitude.  Some are equipped with weaponry which can be used to strike down targets.

 Makes intruders always aware of what is going on around.  They would know they could be located and killed or detained within moments of being seen by the Predator.  They can see through clouds.  They are equipped with night vision.  Have the ability to stream video to anywhere (President, Secretary of Defense, etc.).  They're 1/20th of the weight of a fighter jet so they can fly longer on less fuel.

 Initial cost is high at approx. $20 million per unit.  Equipping the Predator with weapons can become expensive.  Requires trained staff of 55 individuals to operate them.  There is a high operation cost associated with the plane with estimates from $1,000 to $7,000.  Can’t just stop and ask questions to a potential intruder.  Sometimes during in climate weather conditions communication with the UAV is broken.

 They are a disruptive technology.  They have revolutionized the way reconnaissance and intelligence gathering has been done.  They are a technology will receive very little push-back because people realize how effective they are, and can use this to their advantage (Air Force and CIA).

Future Vision of the Predator

 UAVs such as the Predator will one day replace manned fighter jets.  This leaves people at a command center in charge.  Communication is more efficient in a calmer setting compared to being in the air doing dog fights while listening to the C.O.  It will be used more heavily in combat because the lives of soldiers are not being put at risk  Will become a main reconnaissance tool for boarder security for the U.S. and other boarders the U.S. protects.

 UAV's will mitigate the problem of people sneaking in illegal immigrants or harmful items such as bomb and narcotics.  They will do this by keeping constant surveillance over our boarders.  Provides a safer means for the military to conduct air missions and not put soldiers lives at risk.  Enable information to be collected without the knowledge of those being tracked, thus preventing individuals from trying to run away.

 When people realize the fullest potential of a UAV such as the Predator, all agencies of Homeland Security will be more likely to adopt it.  It provides us with a tool to better protect our home front from intruders and people trying to get into the country.  In natural disasters like Katrina, first responders could use the predator to spot individuals trapped over areas we could not normally see and send teams in to save those trapped individuals.

 The U.S. government is funding much of the development of this technology though it is being created and developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated.  The Air Force and the CIA are currently employing this technology for information and reconnaissance gathering.  In August 2005, the US Department of Homeland Security / Customs and Border Protection (DHS/CBP) ordered two Predator systems for monitoring of the USA's south-west border.

 Agencies that might protest the wide use of UAV's is the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).  They would not want UAV's being in the paths of their jets that they are trying to control.  The only exception is that they may have an altitude law where the UAV may not go above a certain height because it could become a danger to the jets if they crashed into it.  This would create more work for Air Traffic Controllers.  May interfere with peoples privacy rights since they cannot see if they are being watched.

Recommendation

 This technology should be leveraged more to help solve problems for our military and Homeland Security agencies such as CBP, FBI, etc.  As time goes on, UAV's will become smaller, faster, fly higher and stream better images.  They should eventually replace fighter jets, and in doing so they will save many American lives.  They should be used where ever we are warring and harnessed to protect our troops.  At home, these should be used to the fullest extent to prevent illegal aliens from entering the country and sneaking in narcotics.  All agencies should adopt this technology because it is the way of the future. Either you keep up with technology, or you get left behind.

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