SOUTHCOM eyes program of record for persistent surveillance network

摘要

U.S. Southern Command is looking to shift a technology demonstration of unmanned, persistent surveillance systems into a Defense Department program of record, according to the command's chief. Adm. Craig Faller said the command needs more continuous, less costly surveillance than what it currently achieves by using ISR aircraft, such as the P-8 Poseidon. "Having intelligence that can look over wide areas for long periods of time, know what's happening on the ocean, on the sea in the littorals, is really critical to us," Faller said during a roundtable hosted by the Defense Writers Group today. Last year, the Guardian reported SOUTHCOM had commissioned tests involving unmanned, solar-powered balloons provided by Sierra Nevada launched into the stratosphere above six U.S. states to experiment with wide-area surveillance.