By Jim Samples
Drones are in the news these days. The armed forces and security services are
using them in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia to attack
terrorists and conduct surveillance. Now
it’s becoming clear that the usefulness of drones extends far beyond bombing
and spying. In recognition, Congress and
the President agreed on new legislation in February that would permit the use
of drones in law enforcement, public safety and other civilian
applications.
Drones are likely to be part of the Coast Guard’s arsenal in the
future. Under the direction of the
Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard is working with other
government departments and military units to evaluate how drones can be deployed
effectively. In Coast Guard terminology, drones are called Unmanned Aircraft
Systems, or UASs. They would be used to
conduct search and rescue missions and to interdict the movement of illegal
contraband and illegal aliens.
The Coast Guard is currently looking closely at two types of
drones. The first is a cutter-based,
tactical UAS that would complement the Coast Guard helicopter fleet. The second is a land-based, long-range UAS
that would augment the current fixed-wing airplane fleet. Comparatively speaking, the UASs can fly for
more hours, for longer distances and at less expense than conventional
aircraft.
The Coast Guard and the U. S. Customs and Border Patrol are
working together to evaluate a land-based maritime drone with enhanced maritime
radar systems. The drone under evaluation,
called the “Guardian,” is a variant of the Predator B used by both the military
and the CIA. Two Guardians are in service at the present time, one operating
out of Cape Canaveral, Fla., and the other out of Corpus Christi, Tex. In June, the Coast Guard and Border Patrol
conducted a successful demonstration of the advanced capabilities of the
Guardian during an exercise in the Caribbean Sea.
The Coast Guard is also working with the Navy to develop a small
UAS (or sUAS) for cutter-based operations.
This drone, called the “ScanEagle,” successfully completed a simulated
surveillance mission early this year. A
sophisticated video camera mounted on the ScanEagle observed the transfer of
“illegal” cargo between two vessels and transmitted detailed information about
the operation to a 25-foot cutter nearby for follow-up. In August, the Coast Guard R & D Center
conducted a successful demonstration of the ScanEagle aboard a cutter. A similar demonstration is scheduled for next
year.
The Coast Guard drone program faces three significant
challenges. The first is technical. Perfecting radar sensors that can “see”
boats and objects at sea is more difficult than designing the sensors needed to
identify targets on land. Second, unlike
war-zone operations, Coast Guard drones will need to operate at times in
civilian air space. Under the new drone
legislation adopted in February, the Federal Aviation Administration is charged
with writing and implementing new regulations governing the flight of UASs in
domestic areas. Until then, UASs must
fly no higher than 400 feet and must remain in view at all times. And finally, in this era of tight budgets,
obtaining adequate funds to take the Coast Guard drone program to an
operational level will be yet another challenge. Nevertheless, it looks like
there is a new buzz in the Coast Guard’s future.
