Thu, Jan 06, 2005
'Round-The-Clock Capability When Time Is Of The Essence
As the relief effort for tsunami victims in South Asia continues
to ramp up, the search for survivors in the 11 countries hardest
hit is winding down. But at its height, that effort was reportedly
aided in great measure by some of military aviation's newest
technology.
Three days after the disastrous wave washed over its shores,
India reportedly launched a number of Israeli-made Searcher drones
(above), looking for survivors on land and who might have been
washed out to sea.
"We are operating the UAVs from the naval base at Kochi for
aerial reconnaissance," an Indian defense ministry official told
DefenseNews.com on Saturday. "They send back pictures even as they
fly. On spotting distressed people [or bodies], we immediately rush
helicopters to the spot for rescue operations."
The official told the website that the Searchers were being
primarily used in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, some of the
hardest-hit areas along the Indian coast.
The UAVs were launched from the Indian naval base at Kochi.
Among the fleet of SAR drones launched from Kochi were eight
Searcher Mk4 and four Heron UAVs (below), all bought from Israel in
2002.
Israel Aircraft Industries, makers of the Searcher and Heron
lines, said Indian officials were so impressed with the performance
of the UAVs that they're in the process of ordering 50 Heron/Eagle
vehicles for approximately $200 million.
That deal should be finalized shortly, according to IAI.
(ANN Correspondent Dave Bender in Jerusalem contributed to
this article)
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