The mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is to safeguard our nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities and partnerships at the border and beyond. AMO achieves its mission by monitoring thousands of miles of air, maritime and land borders around the clock; defending the United States against terrorist threats; detecting and deterring illicit trafficking in persons, drugs, weapons, money and other goods; and disrupting criminal networks. AMO conducts operations in four mission areas: Maritime and Land Law Enforcement; Domain Awareness; Extended Border Operations; and Contingency and National Security Operations. AMO operates more than 200 airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned aircraft, and commands and oversees more than 300 marine vessels. AMO currently operates the General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. MQ-9 Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) as part of the overall aviation fleet.  

CBP was the first federal agency to introduce large-scale MQ-9 operations to the National Airspace System (NAS) for homeland security and disaster recovery missions. AMO operates the highly capable and proven MQ-9 to enhance operational capabilities and increase maritime domain awareness. AMO UAS crewmembers operate the MQ-9 to provide a high-endurance, long-range strategic and tactical surveillance and intelligence gathering capability, reinforcing a broad range of mission scenarios along and across terrestrial and maritime environments on the borders of the United States. 

MQ-9 UAS augments crewed air and ground interdiction agents deployed on the Southern and Northern Borders. UAS also complements crewed air and maritime interdiction agents on and near these U.S. border regions, as well as in the drug source and transit zones off the coasts of South America and the Caribbean. UAS supports other government agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Intelligence Community and local law enforcement agencies; and for special operations in collaboration with partnering nations countering transnational criminal organizations. UAS has also been employed during disaster operations to respond to contingencies such as hurricanes or floods.

Increasing UAS Flight Hours and Capabilities
CBP fielded the first MQ-9 UAS in 2005. Since its inception, the MQ-9 fleet has continuously increased flight hours, from under 500 hours in the first year of operation to amassing nearly 12,000 hours in Fiscal Year 2023. AMO MQ-9s are piloted by Air Interdiction Agents (AIA). Aviation Enforcement Agents (AEA) serve as sensor operators. AIAs are, at minimum, commercially licensed pilots, with many rated as an Airline Transport Pilot. Aircrews are responsible for the management of the MQ-9 systems and sensors while operating in the National Airspace System. The aircrews are also responsible for Air Traffic Control communication and coordinating with tactical law enforcement partners. 

Each MQ-9 is equipped with an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) system that includes both visible and infrared sensors. Because this sensor spans visible and infrared wavelengths, EO/IR systems provide total situational awareness day and night, and in low light conditions to air and ground interdiction agents.

In 2012, AMO integrated Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation (VaDER) Radar capability into the MQ-9 UAS, a strategic and tactical operations land sensor that provides accurate, real-time dismounted ground moving target data and radar imagery supporting Border Patrol Agents while simultaneously recording strategic intelligence data.  

AMO also developed a maritime domain awareness MQ-9 UAS, that is equipped with a SeaVue maritime radar. This maritime radar is effective for detecting, identifying, and tracking maritime surface traffic in coastal areas surrounding the U.S. and the maritime transit zone used by transnational criminal organizations to transport bulk quantities of illicit substances.

MQ-9 Modification: Big Wing
Working in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, two MQ-9 airframes have been modified with a Big Wing kit, replacing the previous 66-foot aircraft wings with 79-foot wings. This allows the versatile MQ-9 to increase mission time, resulting in greater range, endurance, and domain awareness. With the Big Wing modification, maximum flight time is increased by over 10 hours, from 20 hours in a standard wing MQ-9, to 30-plus hours for Big Wing UAS. Included with the upgrade are increased fuel capacity, a four-bladed propeller upgraded from the standard three-bladed prop, and a de-icing capability that allows the equipped MQ-9 to fly through light icing conditions while shedding the ice build-up.

National Air Security Operations Centers and Extended Border And Foreign Operations
AMO’s MQ-9s operate from three National Air Security Operations Centers, or NASOCs. These UAS Centers are located in Grand Forks, North Dakota; Sierra Vista, Arizona; and San Angelo, Texas. MQ-9s also deploy as necessary from NASOCs for use primarily in extended border and foreign operations missions.

AMO’s extended border and foreign operations include U.S. and foreign government partners and involves detecting, identifying, tracking, and interdicting targets in the Source and Transit Zones. These missions often involve combined and joint operations with other law enforcement organizations and international partners combating transnational criminal organizations. These operations foster partnerships with foreign governments and collaboration with foreign law enforcement agencies.

AMO UAS in Operations
The MQ-9 UAS is a proven operational multiplier to stop, detect and track illicit activity. A recent mission demonstrates its capability, where on March 6, 2024, an AMO MQ-9 crew detected suspicious vessel activity near the British Virgin Islands and maintained continuous observation of a vessel of interest. AMO’s UAS operators facilitated communication with responding crews: Caribbean Air and Marine Branch-based UH-60, St. Thomas Marine Unit 41’ SAFE Boat crews, and an international maritime law enforcement team. 

The vessel attempted to evade law enforcement, making erratic maneuvers, and eventually ran into a dock. Three people fled. Law enforcement teams seized 62 bales of cocaine from the grounded vessel. Authorities determined the final weight of seized cocaine totaled 4,294 pounds or 2.1 tons. The amount of seized cocaine denied transnational criminal organizations approximately $48.7 million USD. 

During Fiscal Year 2023, AMO UAS operators reported 57,670 detections of cross-border and maritime traffic suspected of illegal activity. Additionally, AMO UAS crews successfully conducted multiple missions that contributed to the seizure of 25,615 pounds of marijuana and 11,360 pounds of cocaine.

AMO Envisions a Strong Future for UAS
Looking forward, the AMO UAS program will persist in its dedication toward the goal of increasing operational effectiveness by closing gaps in domain awareness, cultivating productive partner relationships, increasing intelligence capabilities and operational performance, improving information sharing, and performing assessments of emerging technologies. The MQ-9 UAS program will continue with system improvements to facilitate domain and situational awareness, critical elements in the organization’s ability to successfully execute the surveillance continuum of predicting, detecting, identifying, tracking, responding and resolving threats. AMO envisions a strong and growing future for UAS operations as a vital component of AMO’s mission to safeguard the nation from the air and the sea.

Author: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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Printed in the 2024 issue of UAS Magazine/Directory