Nov 9, 2020 · Drones provide Border Patrol agents with air support no matter where they are. Instead of having to launch a much larger platform, such as an Air and Marine Operations helicopter and crew, the smaller drones fit in the back of a patrol vehicle and can be put in the sky in a matter of minutes.

Mar 22, 2022 · CBP.gov An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Aug 18, 2023 · Air and Marine Operations (AMO) UAS is a critical element of CBP missions to predict, detect, identify, classify, track, deter, and interdict border traffic that threatens the continuity of U.S. border security.

Mar 15, 2024 · From search and rescue to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to inspecting towers, Customs and Border Protection is demonstrating how drones are more than just a fun hobby. CBP is recognizing not only the time and cost savings, and more importantly the safety to officers that small, unmanned aircraft can provide.

Apr 1, 2025 · CBP operates several UAS programs including a small-UAS program enabling rapid deployment of quadcopters to provide U.S. Border Patrol agents with real-time situational awareness. Thanks to the integration of this drone technology, CBP seized approximately 2,800 pounds of illicit narcotics from fiscal year 2020 through 2023.

Jan 10, 2025 · CBP’s pilots fly everything from small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), used to track smugglers crossing the border, to the military-level MQ-9 Predator B drones, which are …

Nov 2, 2023 · U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began operating a Predator B drone in 2005. Drones play a role in threat identification, operational risk mitigation, search and rescue, terrain mapping, tower and infrastructure inspection and natural disaster damage assessments.

Jan 7, 2015 · The CBP drones represent the federal government’s most sustained and substantial domestic drone program. Just as in the early days of manned aviation, the Southern borderlands have not been exactly hospitable to the prospects of unmanned flight.

Jan 10, 2025 · CBP uses MQ-9 drones to keep an eye on land and sea, checking for illegal activities. These drones help monitor the movement of people across borders and track suspicious vessels carrying illegal goods. The main goal is to make sure borders are secure while supporting lawful trade and travel.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employs several types of aircraft, including manned helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for border surveillance and law enforcement purposes.