By Jose Ruiz

U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs

COMALAPA AIR BASE, El Salvador (May 28, 2009) -- U.S. Southern Command, working with Salvadoran military and civil aviation officials, completed a month-long evaluation project here May 27 that assessed the suitability of using unmanned aircraft for counter drug missions in the Pacific, Caribbean, Central and South America.

The deployment, called Monitoreo, was an initiative carried out as part of a SOUTHCOM Innovation Program using the Heron, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed for medium altitude, long endurance air operations and capable of sustained flight for up to 20 hours without the need for aerial refueling when configured for counter illicit trafficking detection missions.

Video Footage of Heron UAV in action during counter drug missions in El Salvador.   More video of Project Monitoreo

Highlights of Project Monitoreo:     §   Evaluated the use of UAVs to enhance counter drug surveillance capabilities   §   Uses Israeli-developed Heron UAV configured for counter illicit trafficking detection ops   §   Heron flew 100 hours, supporting 10 missions along Central America’s Pacific Coast.  Did not directly participate in interdiction   §   Info from project will be included in a final assessment to decision makers considering the use of UAVs for such missions   §   Project was led by SOUTHCOM and NAVSO and funded by the DoD   §   Defense contractors supporting Monitoreo included engineers and aviation technicians from Stark Aerospace, Israel Aerospace Industries and Raytheon

Heron arrived at the Salvadoran air base April 29 and participated in 10 missions during the evaluation, flying more than 100 hours in direct support of counter drug surveillance activities along Central America’s Pacific coast.  None of the missions Heron flew resulted in a drug bust, although the UAV did investigate suspected targets.

The information recorded during the evaluation will be included in a final assessment and available to SOUTHCOM, Defense Department and other U.S. interagency decision makers considering the use of UAVs to support future U.S.-led counter drug air operations in the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

“We believe that in the course of conducting this evaluation, we were able to gather enough observations to determine that unmanned aircraft systems indeed have a positive future in supporting counter drug operations and the lessons learned as part of the Monitoreo deployment will help guide the way toward that future,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kevin Quarderer who is with SOUTHCOM’s Innovation Program.

Unmanned air systems like Heron consist of a UAV, a ground control station staffed with a pilot and two payload/sensor operators, as well as equipment that enables remote, over-the-horizon communications with the aircraft during flight operations.

According to Ted Venable, a Counter Illicit Trafficking Program Manager for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) and U.S. Fourth Fleet, the Department of Defense funded Project Monitoreo after it was conceptualized in 2008 by SOUTHCOM and NAVSO planners exploring the use of innovative aviation technologies to enhance counter drug surveillance capabilities and cooperation with partner nations in the region.

Venable described the Heron system used during the project as “contractor-owned and contractor-operated,” meaning the system and technical experts operating it were provided by defense contractors hired to support the project through a competitive selection process conducted by the Defense Department’s Counter Narco-Terrorism Program Office (CNTPO).

Defense contractors supporting Monitoreo included engineers and aviation technicians from Stark Aerospace, Israel Aerospace Industries and Raytheon.

Heron is no newcomer to the unmanned aviation industry. First flown in 1994 and operationally capable since 2000, the Israeli-developed aircraft has accumulated more than 100,000 flight hours with more than 70 Heron unmanned aerial systems currently operational worldwide.

“The system is well tested and reliable,” Venable said. “It can remain on patrol longer than some manned aircraft may be able to do.”

Technologies incorporated into Heron’s design include advanced flight, navigation and communications systems and a mix of multi-mode radar, infrared and electro-optical surveillance capabilities equipped aboard the various manned aircraft currently supporting counter drug operations in the region, including the E-2 Hawkeye, P-3 Orion, HC-130 Hercules and E-3 Sentry.

The Salvadoran Air Force base hosting the Heron already serves as host to a U.S. cooperative security location (CSL) – also known as a forward operating location (FOL) -- responsible for overseeing U.S. counter drug air operations in the Central American region. The CSL has also served as a site for strong counter drug cooperation between the U.S. and El Salvador, fueled by the two countries’ shared commitment to disrupt drug trafficking activities in the area.

In 2008, working with El Salvador and other regional partners, the CSL directly contributed to the seizure of 80 metric tons of illicit drugs in the Central American region. As of April 24, the CSL has also contributed to 83 metric tons interdiction in 2009 by Joint Interagency Task Force-South, a SOUTHCOM component based in Key West and charged with overseeing counter illicit trafficking operations in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Venable described El Salvador as a “tremendous partner” for the project and called their support “key” to its overall success. The support provided by El Salvador to Monitoreo included access to Salvadoran facilities and access to airspace at the country’s busiest airport, co-located alongside the Salvadoran air base and the CSL.

“The airport authority has been very receptive in allowing us to fly out of the airport here in San Salvador, and the military staff has been very supportive of the entire project,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Mike Amos, the CSL commander.

“For us, it was an opportunity to learn,” said Salvadoran Air Force Col. Nelson Hernandez, Commander of the 2^nd Air Brigade and Comalapa Air Base. “It is possible that perhaps in our future, we may consider our own (unmanned system) project or the acquisition of an existing UAV. We are, so to speak, like sponges, and eager to see what we can absorb from this experience.”

Amos, a naval aviator, also embraced the opportunity to support the project, saying he foresees a greater role for UAVs as some of the manned aircraft currently supporting U.S. counter drug operations reach the end of their service life.

“I think this type of aircraft is the future of (counter drug) detection and monitoring,” he said, citing the ability of UAVs “to bring advanced technology and keep a persistent presence” over illicit trafficking transit zones.

Despite the UAV’s ability to operate unassisted by other airframes, the Heron did not always work alone during its deployment to El Salvador. The aircraft and its support crew occasionally worked cooperatively with manned platforms supporting the same mission. Heron was used to investigate suspected targets spotted by E-2C Hawkeyes operating from the CSL, and in one instance, the UAV even handed over a suspected target to Salvadoran Cessna-337 patrol aircraft for further monitoring.

Though the Heron system did not directly participate in an interdiction while in El Salvador, Venable explained the project’s primary goals were more long-term in nature, with a greater focus on how this technology could assist in developing successful tactics associated with using UAVs for counter drug operations.