Approximately 65 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) personnel and six helicopters—three UH-60 Black Hawks and three AStars—will maintain aerial surveillance for the Super Bowl this Sunday in Minneapolis. They’re part of a 150-plus force of CBP officers with two main missions: “Be the eyes in the sky and help keep the airspace around the stadium safe.”
According to Jonathan Johnson, a supervisory air interdiction agent, “We’re providing an aerial downlink with cameras mounted on our [helicopters] feeding live video back to the joint operations centers on the ground, as well as providing that extra level of air security.” CBP people on the ground can ask for AStar operators to provide video of a particular part of the city. “We can check out a suspicious vehicle or people, and eliminate any questions about what’s happening on the ground.”
On game day, the Black Hawk crews will assist National Guard F-16 fighter aircraft, detecting, tracking, and coordinating the interdiction of aircraft violating a temporary no-fly zone for miles around the stadium. If any aircraft violates that airspace, CBP will intercept and determine if more law enforcement is needed.
Practice missions in advance of the game are being conducted to ensure that maintenance, air crews, and aircraft are in “tip-top condition,” as well as to scope out emergency landing zones.