1. “RPAS for European Border Surveillance”
Piotr MALINOWSKI
Zdravko KOLEV
FRONTEX
JRC UNOSAT - Unmanned Aerial Systems for Rapid Mapping
Geneva, Switzerland

2. OUTLINE Frontex mission Development of a EUROSUR
Challenges for European border surveillance
Possible roles for RPAS
Conclusions

3. FRONTEX
EU agency – ”to coordinate activities related to border management”
Independant legal body with management board of MS ’border chiefs’
298 staff and growing
Operational in Warsaw since Oct. 05
Council Regulation (EC) 2007/2004/ ( , OJ L 349/ )
Mission
”While considering that the responsibility for the control and surveillance of external borders lies with the Member States, the Agency shall facilitate and render more effective the application of existing and future Community measures relating to the management of external borders.”
“…contributing to an efficient, high and uniform level of control on persons and surveillance of the external borders…”

4. FRONTEX Structure

5. Frontex Research and Development
Mission “Follow up on developments in research relevant for the control and surveillance of external borders and disseminate this information to the Commission and the Member States.”
LINK BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND USERS AND INDUSTRY
Research
Community
Border Guards
MS Authorities
Commission
FRONTEX R&D
Assessment
and translation
Input from Research
and Technology
Potential Capabilities
User Needs
Requirements
User needs
EU Research Programmes

6. END-USER NEEDS
Platforms and sensors for the collection of data and information
24/7 all weather surveillance border and pre-frontier
Platforms and sensors to facilitate interception
Systems to exchange information
Systems to exploit the information and react quickly to evolving threats
All the above: Affordable and Integrable

7. Current main challenge: Detection & tracking of small boats, used for cross-border crime & irregular migration
241 search and rescue cases and 23,192 lives saved from
Frontex coordinated assets were involved in saving 64 persons per day.

8. National Coordination Centre (NCC)
EUROSUR
SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF BORDER AREAS –
DG JLS/HOME Communication in Feb 2008, Roadmap with 3 phases and 8 steps
Legislative Proposal by Dec11 aiming to make EUROSUR operational in COM(2011) 873 final, 12/12/2011: EUROSUR regulation proposal
National Coordination Centre (NCC)
All relevant authorities
National Situational Picture
Reaction capability
Frontex
Common surveillance means
European Situational Picture (ESP)
Common Pre-frontier Intelligence Picture (CPIP)
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node
Node

9. EUROSUR The Network project
NCC Local
System “
…to create a persistent connection
between a number of National Coordination Centres of IT, FI, FR, PL, SP, SL and Frontex,
using a fully extensible information sharing system,
which supports secure „information trade‟ between connected National Coordination Centres and Frontex. ”

11. RPAS for Rapid Mapping Support to planning of joint operations
Identification and monitoring of long range migration routes
Topographic information updating
Analysis(border vulnerability and permeability, cross country mobility, economical situation of MS, etc)
Evaluate the easiness of walking in specific terrain and time needed to cross specific distance
Identification of the areas that can be reach by walking person in definite
periods of time

12. Satellites and RPA for border surveillance
Satellites with imaging radar (SAR) or optical sensors are useful for intelligence gathering, but not for real time tracking
RPA have potential but must prove :
◊cost effectiveness compared to manned flights
◊integration into normal airspace

13. PRAS - roles SEA SURVEILLANCE MISSION wide area surveillance
detection at longer distances
detection of smaller vessels, fast vessels (speedboats)
reconnaissance missions to coastline spots
identification of suspicious objects
SAR missions
all weather and day/night conditions
long endurance, speed and altitude adaptability
providing real- and near real- time operational data
integration with other existing surveillance networks (radars, satellite .. )
share/operate PRAS synthesize operational information,
efficiency and costs
radar sensors, optical sensors or possibly imaging radar.
AIS, SIGINT

14. PRAS - roles LAND SURVEILLANCE MISSION
detection of human presence and vehicles at the borders
all weather and day/night conditions
different lengths of the border to deal with
different topographical / climate characteristics
providing real- and near real- time operational data
integration with other existing surveillance networks (radars, satellite .. )
optical sensors (EO/FLIR HD)

15. Demonstration of mini RPA and Aerostats
Workshops «RPA and Land Border Surveillance»
2009 & 2010 Imatra, Finland
SELEX ”ASIO” + HYDRA
”SENSORINTEGRATION”
LIVE DEMO
PATRIA ”MASS”
LIVE DEMO
”LIVE VIDEO FROM MOBILE
TO MOBILE OVER IP”,
AHORTEC LTD LIVE DEMO
AERONAUTICS
SKYSTAR 180
Tactical aerostat
All weather conditions
SIM SKYEYE”+ QUATTRO VIDEOTRANSMISSION SYSTEM
RAFAEL ”ORBITER” LIVE DEMO
+ AERONAUTICS AEROSTAT SYSTEM, NOT
LIVE DEMO

16. RPAS Demonstration sessions Aktio and Istres 2011
ISTRES, FRANCE
DA-42 with EO/IR
OPA
AKTIO, GREECE
HERON 1
PATROLLER
SkyLite
PUMA AE
+ Remote Video Terminal (RVT)
FULMAR

17. Mission planning Mission Execution LOS BLOS
Lite Situational Awareness & Video
Portal based GIS viewer

18. RPAS Workshop and Demonstration II (20 - 21 October 2011, Istres, France)

19. Conclusions
Frontex works closely with the Commission and MSs in the development of EUROSUR
RPAS could play a significant role in EUROSUR
RPAS do not replace manned aviation, but make it possible to accomplish missions that would not be possible with manned aircraft (long and very long endurance).
RPAs have potential
Maritime surveillance
Long range and long endurance
Land
RPAs need to prove
Usefulness (legal / insertion into civil airspace)
Cost-effectiveness