Ultralight from Sinai – a real threat
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עברית (Hebrew)
Ultralights may be used by terror groups operating in the Sinai deserts; this according to a well informed source.
In the past terrorists tried to use ultarlights from Lebanon to cross the border. In the U.S. the border patrol faces a problem with ultralights but with drugs. Border agents struggle to stop ultralight aircraft used by drug smugglers, even when they can detect and track them.
Ultralight aircraft have become an emerging threat because they can overcome border fences and because they can take off and land almost anywhere. In many cases, the ultralight, when it makes entry into the United States, does not land. It’ll simply just kick out its cargo, which is usually marijuana, the border patrols say.
The low-flying aircraft then returns to Mexico while traffickers on the ground in the United States retrieve the drugs.
For ultralights that never land in the United States, it’s unclear what the Border Patrol can do to them while they’re airborne. The agency is looking at how to adjust its policies to address ultralights, while still acting with “compassion within the Constitution.”
Despite the difficulty of apprehending them, the Border Patrol has worked to improve its ability to detect them, experimenting with ground-based radar, Fisher said, and tweaking it so it can identify the ultralights. The agency has also worked with the Science and Technology Directorate within the Homeland Security Department on ways to detect the initial entry of ultralights into the country.
