Originally, the use of drones at the border was primarily limited to smugglers and traffickers. Operators pilot thousands of small drones across the border to deliver drugs, search for points of vulnerability along the border, and scout the path ahead. While US lawmakers failed to pass a bill making drone operation at the border an illegal act, the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) of the US has adopted small unmanned aerial solutions (sUAS) of its own to aid them with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.
Operation Lone Star, a controversial initiative begun by Texas governor Greg Abbott in 2021 to limit border crossings, has demonstrated the utility of UAS border operations. The operation, which is a collaboration between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department, deploys small drones to seek out border intrusions. Officials involved with Operation Lone Star use manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) techniques to prevent border crossings; drones pinpoint the location of border activity – often using thermal night-vision features – before sending in operators to investigate further.
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The US is not the only country to develop an arsenal of UAS to aid border security efforts. Indeed, the proliferation of drones for border surveillance purposes has become a global phenomenon, spanning developing and developed countries across multiple continents. Thai border agents along the country’s boundary with Malaysia have used MUM-T techniques with sUAS to secure national airspace, apprehend drug smugglers, and stop illegal crossings. Colombia’s Ministry of Defense has reported using drones to patrol its border with Venezuela, in addition to scouring the country for signs of potential narcotrafficking and terrorism.
Turkey stands out as an early adopter and enthusiastic user of drones, especially in the eastern part of the country. The Turkish military has used its large fleet of UAVs for more than just the MUM-T surveillance operations that are more common along the US’ southern border. In the mid-2010s, Turkey became one of the first countries to use drones in conventional combat operations; Turkish counterterrorism operations against both Turkish citizens and foreigners used drones to identify the source of indirect fire. The Turkish Army has regularly conducted airstrikes against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party separatist movement using the Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude long-endurance system.
The success in UAS border efforts has come in part due to the recent advancement and proliferation of drone technology. The range, durability, affordability, and operability of UAS have improved considerably since the Nagorno-Karabakh border war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, and especially improved since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The battlefield success of unmanned surveillance and kamikaze systems such as the Iranian Shahed, Turkish Bayraktar TB2, Ukrainian Switchblade 600, and others has motivated defence and industry officials to make meaningful investments in the unmanned sector. A senior business official from Lockheed Martin, speaking under Chatham House rules, reported that initially successful developments in UAS technology are often countered by the opposing force within two weeks.
Such developments are not without meaning for the wider defence and security industry, however. The rapid changes in drone warfare have only furthered the interest of homeland security officials and military leaders. Defence startups and larger contractors alike are in rapid pursuit of offensive and defensive drone enhancements to achieve the creation and delivery of impactful autonomous arsenals. Defence innovators are adapting improvements in AI, anticollision technology, augmented reality, 5G, and miniaturisation to achieve new heights (literally and figuratively) in the autonomous systems industry. Drone designers are also trying to work against the growing counter-drone technologies (C-UAS) industry, which is working to disable or destroy oncoming systems using kinetic and non-kinetic solutions. The coming generation of drones at the border will need to be able to resist new jamming techniques and avoid advanced projectiles.
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By GlobalDataDespite these increases in utility, there is still considerable room for growth in the application of drones in the defence and security sector. Advances in AI are expected to dramatically reduce the obstacles faced by border officials. The US Border Patrol already uses Anduril Industries’ Autonomous Surveillance Towers, powered by the company’s Lattice software platform to “ingest, fuse, and run data (radar, infrared, and more) from cost-effective sensors through computer vision algorithms.” Anduril’s Bolt-M sUAS also uses the Lattice software to autonomously track targets seeking to flee. Beyond Anduril specifically, advances in AI will lead to the first truly autonomous drone swarms, with multiple units controlled without human intervention. Such advancements make the destruction of pursuing drones more difficult, as it is harder to disable or destroy more than one drone. Furthermore, swarms of AI-powered UAS will be able to pursue multiple targets should they choose to flee in more than one direction.
While discussion of unmanned technology at the border is largely limited to aerial systems, it is worth mentioning recent advancements in unmanned maritime vessels (UMVs), including both unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and unmanned underwater vessels (UUVs). Ukraine’s successful use of the Sea Baby and MAGURA V5 USV systems forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to retreat after more than one-third of the fleet was destroyed or seriously damaged. While it is unlikely that coastguards across the globe will use kamikaze USVs to defend their coastlines, there is ample room for the use of autonomous patrolling vessels in contested or dangerous waters. States will also seek to protect undersea cables and other critical infrastructure using UUVs. The 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea underscores the need for further investment in manned and unmanned underwater patrolling technology, as states will seek to secure territorial waters.
Ground vehicles (UGVs), particularly of the robot dog variety, are largely still in development but are expected to be an important component of a secure border in the 21st century. These robot dogs, known as automated ground surveillance vehicles, are in advanced development and testing by the US CBP’s Science and Technology Directorate. Robots traverse any type of natural or manmade environment using various types of cameras, as well as CBRNE sensors, which allows law enforcement to maintain a safe but effective distance before approaching a dangerous situation.
The future border security will be determined in part by state investment in C-UAS, UAS, UMVs, and UGVs. Nations which fail to invest in counter-drone technologies will struggle to combat the use of drones by smugglers and other threats. Conversely, nations which fail to invest in autonomous systems will operate with a limited set of tools when securing their borders. The rapid pace of advancements within the unmanned sector will continue to drive demand, yet the supply of drones for border enforcement officials will only expand as innovators discover new ways to make drones accessible and inexpensive.
