Maritime Predator will be on display at Paris Air Show

In response to a request from the Defense Department’s European Command and the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the Customs and Border Protection agency will display an operational maritime variant of the MQ-9 Predator B unmanned aircraft system at the 2011 Paris Air Show, CBP said in a June 15 news release.

The maritime variant, known as Guardian, is used by the CBP to patrol transit zones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and also to supplement anti-terror efforts along maritime smuggling routes.

CBP has five Predator B aircraft and two Guardian aircraft operating from strategic locations around the United States.