WASHINGTON, D.C.—On January 20, 2011, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Air and Marine Predator B aircraft successfully completed the first long-range unmanned aircraft patrol to utilize the expanded certificate of authorization (COA) that was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week-increasing the effectiveness of homeland security unmanned aircraft missions in support of counter-narcotics, counterterrorism and border security operations.
With cooperation and assistance from the FAA, the newly issued COA expands CBP's approved airspace along the northern border by nearly 900 miles and allows CBP Predator-B aircraft to fly from the Lake-of-the-Woods region of Minnesota to the vicinity of Spokane, Washington.