Push for More Border Drones Faces Regulatory Flak

(June 14) -- Demands from U.S. lawmakers to deploy more drones along the U.S.-Mexican border is forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to consider opening the congested skies over the U.S. to unmanned aircraft.

In recent months, Texas politicians have requested that the military help provide more Predator unmanned aircraft to add to the small fleet of drones already patrolling the U.S.'s southern border. But the FAA fears it may be unsafe to allow the additional drones in civilian airspace, The Associated Press reports.

Though Predators are currently flying in support of operations in places like Afghanistan, where the military controls the airspace, the FAA has been hesitant to allow the unmanned aircraft in civilian airspace. The Department of Homeland Security operates a small number of Predators that patrol along borders with Mexico and Canada, but the FAA has been hesitant to approve more.

a Predator drone unmanned aerial vehicle takes off on a U.S. Customs Border Patrol mission from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Ross D. Franklin, AP

Lawmakers who want more drones patrolling the U.S.-Mexican border are pushing the FAA to open airspace in the area. Here, a Predator drone takes off on a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol mission from Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

"I think industry and some of the operators are frustrated that we're not moving fast enough, but safety is first," Hank Krakowski, FAA's head of air traffic operations, told the AP. "This isn't Afghanistan. This isn't Iraq. This is a part of the world that has a lot of light airplanes flying around, a lot of business jets."

Now that Congress is pushing the FAA to accelerate integration of unmanned aircraft into civilian airspace, those pushing for more drones to fight illegal immigration may find solidarity with advocates of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), who have long wanted the FAA to ease restrictions, arguing that the current technology is sufficient to avoid crashes.

In Dayton, Ohio, business officials are urging the FAA to open airspace in the area to drones so they can create a regional hub for training. "Having compatible space -- that's the holy grail that's the key to breaking into having a significant chunk of the UAV industry," Joe Zeis, chief strategist and a vice president of the Dayton Development Coalition, told the Dayton Daily News earlier this year.