We recently had an opportunity
through our relationship with the
U.S. Special Operations Command,
SOCOM of DOD to requisition some Group 3 UAS systems.
And so Group 3 UAS systems are typically
the over 100 pound type aircraft.
These Group 3 UAS that we got
are Insitu Blackjacks and ScanEagles.
Both of these aircraft are going to really help us define
what CBP needs in the future,
and we did it with really very little cost.
The DOD acquisition cost of those four systems
was approximately $36 million,
which the benefit to CBP and the taxpayers was
those systems were brought over
to us for free and then in turn
we also got access to the schoolhouse
for the maintainers and the operators
which allowed us actually to fly the aircraft.
So that's where having the solution is wonderful,
but if you don't have the actual people trained
to utilize those things,
it doesn't really amount to the difference in capability
and so by being able to take those assets
from DOD as that came out of theater
and bring them into the Homeland Security Mission,
we basically warped two years ahead of ourselves.
There's a lot of mission space where CBP
is covering as part of the overarching U.S. government approach
to a wide range of missions sets.
So in this case, these UAS assets can be used for search
and rescue missions, hurricane relief, border security.
There's just a very wide breath
where this this platform helps us.
The reason why this is such a robust capability for us
is manned aircraft is very expensive to operate
and really only gives us a small amount of air support,
like in the window of time
and using a unmanned aerial system,
especially in that Group 3 space gives
you ten, 12 or more hours of persistent air support,
which honestly doesn't really exist unless you get into the
very large unmanned systems that also exist within DHS.
The camera systems on these are next generation type stuff.
So we can really get eyes in on an area
where quite honestly, we may have had to physically go.
And that's safer for for us, it's safer for for the public.
It gives us the ability to cover more ground
in a shorter period of time, which is also very important,
especially in a search and search and rescue type mission,
where you know, moments count.
And then obviously in a border security mission,
you know, vigilance on the border is a very important thing.
Being able to execute on the mission
with the most information possible is by far
what will save lives in the long run.