Border officials use aerostats in the Florida Keys to detect illegal immigration and drug smuggling

Sept. 17 (UPI) – Later this month, a tethered balloon over the Florida Keys will help border officials track down illegal activity.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection's air and maritime operations division will deploy its airship-like Argos 2 surveillance system over Cudjoe Key later this month to further improve satellite-based tracking of illegal immigration and other illicit activities, the government said Tuesday.

The airship-like aerostat, called Argos 2, is scheduled to launch sometime this month with a tethered aerostat radar system that has been in operation since 1980, according to a press release from the U.S. Border Protection and Consumer Protection Agency.

TARS uses helium to lift the balloon to an altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,000 to 3,660 meters), officials said, adding that this altitude allows long-range radars to overcome line-of-sight limitations caused by the curvature of the Earth.

According to CBP, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has “noticed an increase in the routes and means of transportation for illegal smuggling, fishing, and immigration activities.”

The Border Patrol Agency said TARS was implemented to help CBP and the Department of Homeland Security improve their ability to combat immigration and other illegal activities, such as smuggling of illicit drugs.

AMO operates eight locations along the southern border of the United States from Arizona in the west to the island of Puerto Rico in the east in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

When the aerostat is not in use, it is lowered to the ground and connected to a winch system.

The Aerostat, manufactured by Delaware-based engineering, design and manufacturing company ILC Dover LP, detects and tracks much of the suspicious air traffic along America's borders, the government said.

According to CBP, the 56-meter-long TARS has proven to be an “important and cost-effective tool” in the ongoing fight against illegal drug and human smuggling since it was first introduced in the United States more than 30 years ago.

From 2014 to 2020, TARS was instrumental in detecting approximately 68% of all flights suspected of smuggling contraband or people while attempting to enter the Southwest United States from Mexico.

The powerful surveillance equipment it is equipped with allows it to monitor the border and, if necessary, enforce regulations on low-flying aircraft or other vessels attempting to enter the United States.

The helium-filled TARS enables panoramic remote monitoring of the ground from altitudes of up to 10,000 to 12,000 feet over extended periods with a range of approximately 200 miles.

Previous deployments have successfully complemented CBP's border security posture and “expanded its situational awareness capabilities,” the agency said, adding that the surveillance system has also been useful to other local and state law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard.