UAVs and Perimeter Security in the Private Sector

In April, while traveling in Boston, I had the opportunity to visit one of that city’s many museums. It was the weekend before the 2014 Boston Marathon, and the terrorist attack on last year’s race was foremost on everyone’s minds.

I was therefore especially concerned when inside the building I noticed an unattended backpack that went unclaimed for several minutes—I notified security, who responded shortly thereafter. As far as I am aware, the backpack was a false alarm, but the episode was a reminder of the importance of the “see something, say something” mindset the private citizen can bring to bear on potential physical security breaches.

As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moves to integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, sometimes referred to as “drones”) into U.S. airspace, companies with perimeter security needs for single facilities or dispersed critical infrastructure could be on their way to a greatly enhanced ability to “see something”—thanks to the persistent and detailed aerial surveillance capabilities of UAVs—and notify security personnel or local authorities accordingly.

The benefits of UAV surveillance to perimeter security would be considerable. UAVs could keep constant watch with detailed visualization over points-of-entry and access routes at chemical facilities, oil refineries, power plants and other high-value targets, while companies with dispersed infrastructure such as rail tracks or overland pipelines could deploy UAVs to monitor for any sabotage or fuel diversion activity. As the military deployment of UAVs has shown, these platforms can conduct such surveillance for extended periods of time without the risk of pilot fatigue or the inherent perception limitations of the human eye that come with manned aircraft—all at a lower cost than that of using manned aircraft for the same mission.

Today, federal, state and local governments already operate UAVs in domestic airspace to support homeland security and law enforcement missions, while select state universities operate UAVs for research purposes. The first and only FAA issuances of UAV permits for commercial use have been in the context of oil/gas exploration in the Arctic, although the lack of FAA permits has not deterred private actors from UAV operations in settings such as filmmaking, agricultural mapping and real estate.

Under the 2012 FAA reauthorization legislation, the FAA must begin licensing commercial UAVs for operation and have them integrated into U.S. airspace by September 2015. The reauthorization also mandates that the FAA designate six test sites to facilitate that integration, the first of which went operational in late April.

The extent to which the FAA will in fact succeed in integrating UAVs fully into U.S. airspace by the 2015 deadline remains to be seen. Last February, Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel III asserted before lawmakers that the FAA will not meet the 2015 deadline and that it is unclear when full integration could be accomplished. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta meanwhile has stated that the agency will approve UAVs in phases, rather than arrive on a single date at full integration for all operators simultaneously.

Also in the mix is the anticipation of the FAA’s proposed rules for small UAVs, due for publication in November of this year, which would allow for flights of UAVs weighing less than 55 pounds prior to the full integration of UAVs.

Leading trade associations such as the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), noting a delay of almost four years in publishing the proposed rule, are urging the FAA to allow for such small UAV operations over sparsely populated areas before the small UAV rule is finalized. Additionally, a March 2014 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruling, if upheld, could open up U.S. airspace to small commercial UAV operations below 400 feet, operating as part of a business, prior to the promulgation of FAA rules. Depending on their specific circumstances, however, private companies may find that their security needs are better met by larger UAVs, which generally can fly higher and hover longer than their smaller counterparts.

Whether as a result of FAA rulemaking or outside of it, private sector facilities could soon be able to avail themselves of UAVs to provide a new layer, and new level, of physical security. For industries in which “seeing something” can make all the difference, these are significant developments.

This article was originally published in the SIA Fiscal Year Informer