This is the first unmanned aircraft that will be used to patrol at sea, said Juan Muñoz-Torres, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s office in Washington, D.C. Unlike the aircraft used to patrol over land, which rely on visual technology, this version is equipped with radar technology, he said. The unmanned aerial "Predator" drones also used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan war zones will soon be used to track persons crossing the US border from Mexico. The plan is to begin testing the aircraft in the eastern Caribbean, basing it out of Florida and in February a second drone will be deployed in the Gulf of Mexico out of Corpus Christi, Texas. via boingboing