New Border-Patrolling Drone Arrives In Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — The second unmanned aircraft to patrol the Texas-Mexico border has arrived at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo confirms that the Predator drone arrived early Thursday morning.

Officials announced in July that Texas would get a second drone to patrol its 1,254-mile border with Mexico. Along with another planned for Arizona, the drone brings U.S. Customs and Border Protection's total to six on the Southwest border.

The Predator can fly for 20 hours without refueling, extending by many hours the surveillance capability of a helicopter. Flight crews control the planes remotely.

The new aircraft awaits assembly, and it was unclear when it would fly its first mission.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All rights reserved.)