Effective Feb. 7, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lifted the temporary grounding of its entire Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) fleet — an order that was put in place on Jan. 24 “out of an abundance of caution” following an Office of Air and Marine flight crew having had to ditch one of CBP’s multi-million dollar Predators in the Pacific Ocean at about 11:15 PM PST” on Jan. 27.
CBP spokesman Michael Friel said at the time that “While on patrol off the Southern California coast, the unmanned aircraft, a maritime variant of the Predator B, experienced a mechanical failure. The crew determined that the UAS would be unable to return to where it originated in Sierra Vista, Ariz., and put the aircraft down in the water.”
The UAS was ditched in the ocean about 20 miles southwest of San Diego, CBP said. CBP said at the time that “The cause of the failure is unknown” and that “There were no injuries as a result of this emergency landing.”
Friel said this week that “Initial findings from the investigation of the incident are that the aircraft’s generator failed and that the procedures in place for this possibility were properly carried out by the flight crew.”
“Out of an abundance of caution,” he reiterated, “appropriate mechanical steps have been taken on CBP UASs to mitigate the potential vulnerability.
Flight testing indicated CBP’s Predator fleet is in working order and that the pilotless aircraft are safe to begin routine flight operations wherever they’re needed, other CBP officials said. CBP currently operates anout a dozen Predator B UASs at and along the border.
The US Coast Guard also participates in CBP’s UAS program through the Unmanned Aerial System (VAS) Joint Program Office, providing training, operators and monitoring video feeds. The Coast Guard has been evaluating the acquisition and utility of shipboard launch/recovered UASs for persistent maritime surveillance.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) directorate also oversees the Air-based Technologies Program, a partnership with state & local partners to develop and promote appropriate use of UAS by law enforcement and first responders.
Source: HS Today