UAV Starts Border Patrols

The U.S. Border Patrol officially launched its electronic eyes in the sky on Friday. After several weeks of testing, two Israeli-built Hermes 450 drones started patrolling 300 miles of border between the U.S. and Mexico controlled by the border patrol's Tuscon sector. The plane's array of day- and night-vision cameras will be used to spot people trying to illegally cross the border. The single-engine Hermes 450 has a cruising speed of about 90 mph, can go as high as 18,000 feet and stay in the air for 20 hours. According to Israeli-Weapons.com, the drone is capable of supplying round-the-clock real-time surveillance. The aircraft are capable of carrying surveillance equipment with "gimbaled electro-optical payloads" to detect targets.