"Texas Republicans have been wary of unmanned aerial vehicles, with some even backing proposed laws to allow the citizenry to gun down invasive airborne drones. Now, thanks to years of Operation Lone Star, Governor Abbott's multi-billion dollar border mission, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is ushering in what might fairly be called the Drone Star State with an expansive fleet of flying eyes in the sky."
"In December 2020, the state police had fewer than 200 drones; now the agency's inventory has ballooned to more than 450 drones, and nearly 400 employees are trained to remotely operate them, according to DPS records obtained by the Texas Observe r. (Agency records indicate that 95 of those drones were not operational as of September.) DPS says the fleet is valued at around $3.7 million."
"That puts the Texas state police in the same league as the U.S. Border Patrol, which maintains around 500 drones, a spokesperson for the federal agency told the Observer. DPS' fleet also exceeds that of the state police agency in Chihuahua, the northern Mexico state that borders much of West Texas. Chihuahua purchased 75 drones as part of a $200-million investment in a sprawling surveillance system that it has offered to share with Texan and federal U.S. authorities."
Texas has significantly expanded state police drone capabilities since 2020, driven by Operation Lone Star, a multi-billion dollar border mission under Governor Abbott. A decade ago DPS did not have a drone program; in December 2020 the agency had fewer than 200 drones. By 2025 the inventory grew to more than 450 drones, with nearly 400 employees trained to remotely operate them. Agency records noted 95 nonoperational units as of September and a fleet valuation near $3.7 million. The DPS fleet rivals the U.S. Border Patrol and exceeds Chihuahua’s 75-drone purchase. Most DPS drones are small, fly about 45 minutes, and many include thermal cameras.
Read at Truthout
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]