The Arizona Daily Star reported that the U.S. Border Patrol would start a new unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV) program with the first official flight this week by one of two Hermes 450 planes.  The UAVs will give officers greater access as well as quicker response times in isolated areas of the nearly 300 southwest border miles of Arizona.

This first use of UAVs in a non-military capacity provides a live video feed of potential illegal smuggling as it happens and will enhance the efforts of ground security. The UAV flights are directed and monitored by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and will continue through the summer of 2004.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the specifications of the Hermes 450 are:

§       Up to 20 hours of flight endurance

§       Reaches ceiling of 18,000 feet (operating at approximately 9,500 feet)

§       Maximum air speed: 95 knots (125 miles per hour)

§       Cruise speed:  70 knots (91 miles per hour)

§       Built as a high wing, V-tail optimal aerodynamic configuration

§       Light composite structure

§       Redundant flight computer avionics and power supply

§       Fully autonomous flight with in-flight redirection

As announced in March by Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of border and transportation security for the DHS, the introduction of the Hermes 450 is only part of the overall plan to increase border security. Critics of the plan point out that there may be serious privacy violations possible such as people being monitored in their own backyards.