The U.S. Customs and Border Protection are deploying a Predator B aircraft with video and heat detection sensors to patrol the border between North Dakota and Canada. Similar UAVs have been working along the border with Mexico since 2005. The aim is to spot people avoiding ports of entry and entering the country illegally.
North Dakota’s Grand Forks Air Force Base won out over South Dakota’s Ellsworth Air Force Base to host the Air Force’s Umanned Aircraft Systems missions, and means the base wil continue in a limited capacity after recent large-scale cutbacks. The base may eventually be the hub for more than 20 UAVs, with both Predator and Global Hawks.
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