Texas National Guard spent $373,000 on stingray equipment

The Texas National Guard last year spent more than $373,000 to install two of its DRT 1301C “portable receiver systems” in two RC-26 surveillance aircraft. The Texas Observer obtained a contract between Digital Receiver Technology Inc., or DRT, the manufacturers of the device, and the Texas National Guard stating the stingrays were for “investigative case analytical support” in counternarcotics operations and were purchased using state drug-asset forfeiture money. Unlike older stingray devices, the DRT 1301C are capable of capturing all of the content transferred from a user's device, Austin attorney Scott McCollough who serves on the board of the Austin chapter of Electronic Frontier Foundation told the publication. At one point the surveillance planes reportedly operated under a front company named Air Cerberus, but have since been converted to military registrations.