The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has completed a successful week-long field test of a wide area surveillance system aboard a tethered aerostat suspended 2,000 feet above the Arizona desert, according to the agency.
DHS used a Logos Technologies Kestrel day/night Kestrel sensor mounted on a Raven Industries [RAVN] aerostat near Nogales, Ariz., to provide a city-sized of an area to aid in the identification and apprehension of migrants illegally attempting to enter the United States. The aerostat was also equipped with an MX spotter camera supplied by L-3 Communications’ [LLL] Wescam unit that worked in tandem with the Kestrel sensor.
DHS said that the sensor platform, which was operated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, helped identify more than 100 attempted illegal entries and other illegal activities into the country.
“With the technology showcased here, we were able to see activities happening in different parts of the city at the same time,” John Appleby, program manager with the DHS S&T Borders and Maritime Security division, said in a statement. In addition to providing immediate situational awareness, the system demonstration showed the ability to use the imagery for forensic analysis, enabling authorities to rewind the sensor imagery and reconstruct activity, he said.
The MX camera enabled operators to zoom in on targets identified by the wide-field-of-view sensor and provide higher resolution, Appleby later told Defense Daily.
Appleby pointed out that the recent demonstration was a good example of DHS leveraging technology that has been developed for military use. In March Logos Technologies said it has delivered its first two day/night Kestrel electro-optic/infrared systems to the Army to be deployed on aerostats in Afghanistan, replacing technology that is only able to operate during daylight.
Aerostat-based surveillance systems are a potential platform for DHS to conduct border security but it’s still too early to say if DHS will be in the “aerostat business,” Appleby said. More testing with aerostats has to be done and be compared with putting similar sensors on other airborne platforms such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, he said.
Appleby also said that the S&T is developing a Request for Proposals for wide area airborne surveillance systems (WAASS) to continue the program. He expects proposals for fixed-wing aircraft equipped with WAASS and possibly aerostats and helicopters.
“The U.S. Border Patrol must adopt new technologies, rapidly identify cross border threats so resources can be deployed appropriately,” Leslie Lawson, agent in charge of the Border Patrol’s Nogales Station, said in a statement. “Integrating new technology into our mission is an essential part of managing risk on the border. The Border Patrol is open to new methods that will assist in leveraging our border enforcement efforts.”