John:

You obviously missed my earlier thread on this subject. In the first
test along the Arizona/Mexico border, operators lost control of a
Predator, which then autonomously flew north out of control. Tucson
air space was shut down, but fortunately, the errant UAV turned south
before crashing in the back yard of a farmhouse near Nogales.
Predators (or at least their control systems) have not been known for
their reliability.

Many of us are concerned, not just for the incursion on our airspace,
but by the use of horrendously expensive and unreliable technologies.
The Predator unmanned programs are much more expensive than the manned
aircraft they are replacing and many of us are unconvinced they will
be cost effective.

Ground-based solutions can be deployed - how about a fence, vibrations
sensors, tower-mounted cameras. All cheaper and more effective.

However, budgets have been allocated to buy more Predators for both
the Mexican and Canadian borders. At least they have transponders so
you can see them coming!

Mike