As per reports Pentagon wants to expand pilot program of autonomous surveillance boats used to deter migrant crossings. 🇺🇸 Reaper drones cost tens of millions, helicopters burn thousands per flight hour, crewed patrol boats need crews on rotation which meant coverage was rationed and migrants learned the gaps. A 340 pound solar boat that loiters for months at the price of a modest house inverts that math. Operated by CBP and the Coast Guard on the Rio Grande and Gulf of Mexico since January, they're credited with about 452 detections, 350 apprehensions and 100 turnbacks a month.