McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Something new soon will be floating in the skies above the Texas-Mexico border as federal authorities test balloon-like military surveillance devices to determine whether they can help with border monitoring.
Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said the large, tethered devices called aerostats likely will take flight by Friday in the Rio Grande Valley. He could not say how many there would be or how long the testing would last.
The devices are on loan from the Defense Department. They are often outfitted with cameras or radar in battlefield settings.
Mr. Mendiola declined to discuss what technology they would carry along the border. The test will determine whether aerostats no longer needed by the military could be useful for border security.
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