UAVs have tactical role in border security, DHS official says.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

Unmanned aerial vehicles will be used sparingly and in "tactical situations" to patrol U.S. borders as the new SBInet system of systems is rolled out, according to the program's manager.

The Department of Homeland Security's Kirk Evans said an aerial drone randomly patrolling the border looking for illegal migrants or smugglers is an inefficient way to use such assets.

Instead, they could be used during peak times in high traffic areas, in deep valleys, above arroyos, where it is hard to spot trespassers, or in cases when a fast response is needed, such as vehicle incursions.

If "they're moving fairly rapidly and if you're not going to be able to close in on that vehicle on time, put a UAV on it," Evans said at an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement conference.

Customs and Border Protection in October began flying a new MQ-9 Predator B drone. Its first drone crashed in the Arizona desert earlier in the year.

Boeing Corp. won the coveted SBInet contract with a proposal that relies heavily on sensors mounted on ground-based towers rather than aerial assets.

Boeing will have until June 8, at the latest, to prove it can deploy its concept on a 28-mile-long stretch in the Tucson, Ariz., sector. The first phase will serve as a way to learn lessons for the rest of the project, Evans said. It will include nine mobile radar towers, two command and control centers and a new radio system for Border...