WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:04.050 Radio: Trecks info on 9 if you hear me on monitor 118.5 00:00:04.050 --> 00:00:08.100 There's another Cessna, High Wing Cessna looks like approaching so 00:00:08.100 --> 00:00:11.150 if you hear me rock your wings. Cessa: 10-10 00:00:11.150 --> 00:00:14.220 Radio: Confirming, you rock your wings please. 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:17.240 Radio Repeating: There's another Cessna, High wing Cessna looks like approaching 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:22.340 so if you can hear me rock your wings. Confirming you rock your wings please. 00:00:22.340 --> 00:00:27.360 [Music] 00:00:27.360 --> 00:00:34.400 Narrator: Under cover of darkness a small aircraft flies at low altitude 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:39.500 along a rugged U.S. and Canadian border, just above the tree tops. 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:44.550 The drug traffickers are attempting to transport illegal cargo to a remote 00:00:44.550 --> 00:00:49.570 drop off location. It's an all too common occurrence. Over the 4,000 mile 00:00:49.570 --> 00:00:54.580 remote mountainous wilderness. These criminal organizations take 00:00:54.580 --> 00:00:59.640 advantage of the rugged terrain, using small helicopters, Cessna's, and gyrocopters. 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:04.660 Because current technology is unable to track these small dark aircrafts. 00:01:04.660 --> 00:01:08.670 Jeff Schoonover: The unique challenges we face up here, not only are people 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.770 being able to walk across the border, basically free roam, its really tough. 00:01:12.770 --> 00:01:16.790 Were short on manpower, we also have issues of aircraft 00:01:16.790 --> 00:01:21.870 coming across. They fly in, at times they land they drop 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:27.900 stuff. Its very challenging as an Agent to be able to intercept 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:31.980 interdict or even get the numbers off the plane to trace, where it is going, 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:34.990 where its been, where its from. 00:01:34.990 --> 00:01:38.040 Narrator: These aircraft not only support illegal trafficking they threaten our 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.080 airspace and national security. 00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:45.090 U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires a system to detect 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:49.110 track, and classify aircraft's flying below 15,000 feet. 00:01:49.110 --> 00:01:55.130 In response to this need, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate 00:01:55.130 --> 00:02:01.190 launched the small dark aircraft project. The result, a portable low cost 00:02:01.190 --> 00:02:06.320 24/7 surveillance system that Agents use to preposition assets to intercept 00:02:06.320 --> 00:02:12.340 nefarious aircraft. When an aircraft flies into a valley 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:18.450 one or more acoustic sensors will detect the sound and identify the aircraft's position. 00:02:18.450 --> 00:02:23.520 A transmitter floods the valley with radio frequency signals, and the radar 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:28.540 reciever's detect reflections off the target, creating a comprehensive 00:02:28.540 --> 00:02:33.610 air picture of the entire area. Agents can select a specific 00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:38.640 track, review its flight path and note suspicious activity. 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:43.660 data from acoustic spectrogram and audio files allows them to identify the type 00:02:43.660 --> 00:02:48.800 of aircraft. Traditional radars do not perform well in rugged 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:53.810 landscapes due to dense forest and mountainous terrain. The new surveillance 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:59.410 system uses muti-static radars. 00:02:59.410 --> 00:03:03.440 Sean O'Neil: We wanted a radar that was simple, was robust to the environment that we 00:03:03.440 --> 00:03:06.450 would find ourselves in. Yet would still meet the performance requirements 00:03:06.450 --> 00:03:10.510 that we thought this application would have. One of the advantages of this kind 00:03:10.510 --> 00:03:14.520 disaggregated design where we have separate components, receivers and 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:18.690 and transmitter is it allows us to essentially build a coverage area 00:03:18.690 --> 00:03:22.720 that's very nontraditional and sort of just fills 00:03:22.720 --> 00:03:26.800 the nooks and crannies if you will, in these sort of 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.840 complex valley locations more precisely. 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.880 Narrator: Another key component to the early warning system is the 00:03:32.880 --> 00:03:34.900 Acoustic Sensors. 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:38.960 Dr. Hady Salloum: The Acoustic System provides sensing of the audio 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:43.010 the frequency content that threats have. It could be helicopters, 00:03:43.010 --> 00:03:47.010 gyrocopters or Cessna's, and provides piece of 00:03:47.010 --> 00:03:51.050 the track that the systems generates at the end. 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:55.070 Narrator: A key feature that helps Agents relocate the system 00:03:55.070 --> 00:03:59.130 is to run the sensor placement and optimization tool. 00:03:59.130 --> 00:04:03.140 This tool analyzes the geographical area and computes 00:04:03.140 --> 00:04:08.220 several factors; including line of sight, terrain analysis, sight accessibility 00:04:08.220 --> 00:04:13.330 and yearly solar exposure. After the calculations 00:04:13.330 --> 00:04:18.380 the tool identifies the best placement, 00:04:18.380 --> 00:04:20.420 quantity and types of sensors for optimal performance. 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:24.500 Jeff Schoonover: The technology that is involved is very advanced in 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:28.580 the fact that it can only hear the aircraft it can also see the aircraft; 00:04:28.580 --> 00:04:28.660 give us tracks so we know GPS coordinates and it 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:32.690 give us tracks so we know GPS coordinates and 00:04:32.690 --> 00:04:36.750 exactly where that aircraft is going. 00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:42.750 It allows us to watch an area and be a force multiplier for an area 00:04:42.750 --> 00:04:45.760 an area we typically we cannot patrol. 00:04:45.760 --> 00:04:48.770 Narrator: Threats along the northern border can be challenging to track and intercept. 00:04:48.770 --> 00:04:53.860 S&T is assisting Agents to have the latest technology 00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:58.890 to stay ahead of the adversary. Small dark aircraft project is 00:04:58.890 --> 00:05:03.980 mobile, portable, self sufficient and provides Agents the tools they need 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:15.899 to keep our nation safe.