Two congressional lawmakers from Texas want more aerial surveillance above the Texas-Mexico border. There are currently four UAS assigned to the southern border. Three are based in Arizona, and most recently, one now based in Corpus Christi is classified as a maritime unit.
They want the Army, National Guard and the Air National Guard to design and build a hangar on the southwest border that would house UAS. The high-tech systems would support the National Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement.
Lawmakers say that while Arizona shares less than 400 miles of border with Mexico, Texas has about three times the area to cover. Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Michael McCaul sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging the agency to station the two UAVs requested in Texas.
The two UAS on order per the appropriations bill are to be delivered at the end of the year. The bill now moves from the House to the Senate
Source: KRGV