WorldPolicy change Affects United States

Pentagon plans expanded use of autonomous drone boats at border

Published 1w ago · Latest report 1w ago

Covered in 2 countries

AI summary37s readNeutral

The US military plans to deploy more robotic drone boats along the border after successful trials.

The United States military intends to deploy more autonomous robotic watercraft along the southern border following a successful pilot test. These small drone boats assist authorities in monitoring waterways to curb illegal entries and drug smuggling.

The vesselsThe 11-foot robotic craft are manufactured by Seasats and weigh 340 pounds each.
The costEach autonomous surveillance vessel carries a price tag of roughly $240,000.
The deploymentThe boats can be easily launched directly from boat ramps or standard pickup trucks.
The pilotTesting of the uncrewed surveillance watercraft along the Rio Grande began in January.

By the numbers

11 mlength of Lightfish vessel

340 kgweight of Lightfish vessel

$240,000cost of autonomous vessel

Why it matters

Border security strategies increasingly rely on autonomous technology to monitor difficult terrain and waterways. Expanding robotic surveillance fleets allows authorities to cover larger areas with fewer personnel.