Antigua and Barbuda’s government is currently exploring a transformative proposal to deploy an advanced long-range drone surveillance network designed to boost three core pillars of public safety: national defense, criminal enforcement, and emergency response. This information was confirmed by Maurice Merchant, the nation’s Director General of Communications, who shared that Cabinet received a detailed presentation on the proposed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) security system from a yet-undisclosed North American-based firm earlier this week.
Unlike the short-range drone platforms already in operation by the Royal Police Force and Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the proposed system integrates high-end long-endurance drones with centralized command-and-control infrastructure to deliver persistent aerial surveillance, real-time intelligence gathering, and accelerated response coordination for emergency and security events. As Merchant explained, once a security or safety incident is reported, drones can be deployed within minutes, giving ground response teams a comprehensive aerial overview of unfolding events before officers arrive at the scene.
Key capabilities of the proposed system include the ability to identify and monitor individuals, ground vehicles, and maritime vessels across a wide operational area. The new generation of drones outperforms the security forces’ existing equipment, with a maximum flight range exceeding 30 kilometers and a total airborne endurance of nearly one hour – double the typical 30-minute flight time of the drones currently in use. Merchant emphasized that this system represents a significant step up in surveillance capacity that the government is actively investigating to address evolving security challenges.
The BVLOS operational design of the system, which allows drones to fly far beyond the visual line of sight of their ground controllers, also carries a key operational benefit: criminal suspects will not be able to easily confirm when surveillance is underway, strengthening efforts to monitor and disrupt organized illegal activity. However, this extended surveillance capability has also prompted questions about regulatory oversight during the post-Cabinet briefing, particularly around protocols for collecting, storing, and using data gathered by the network.
Merchant noted that existing regulatory frameworks already govern the drone operations currently carried out by national security forces, but acknowledged that targeted adjustments will likely be needed to align rules with the expanded capabilities of the advanced new system. “There may be a few tweaks that will be required for the use of these high-powered drones,” Merchant stated.
The government has opted not to release the name of the proposing company at this stage, with Merchant explaining that the identity will remain confidential until Cabinet and senior national security officials complete their initial assessment of the proposal. He initially cited the firm as United States-based before clarifying that the presenter represented a North American organization.
To date, the Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet has not approved the purchase or deployment of the system. The proposal will next undergo inter-agency consultations across the full national security apparatus, after which a formal recommendation will be submitted to Cabinet to guide a final decision on moving forward with the project.