Aerial policing: ELAS & its drones! The Hellenic Police acquired the first drones for the purpose of supervising forests and preventing forest fires, without ruling out expanding their scope of action in the future.
The first three (out of a total of 6) unmanned aerial vehicles were received by the Hellenic Police a month ago and on August 3, the first tests were carried out in the Kopaida area in Viotia. As the publication states, the purpose of the tests was to test the technical capabilities of the new acquisitions of the Hellenic Police and the skills of the police officers who have been certified in their handling. However, in order to expand their use over urban areas, issues such as the regulatory framework for their operation must be resolved, in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Personal Data Protection Authority, etc.
The three specific drones weigh 9 kilograms, can stay in the air for 3.5-4 hours and are equipped with day and night cameras. These are small aircraft, just 1.3 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, powered by batteries and have an operational range of 50 kilometers. They are operated from a car-van that functions as a mobile operations center. In the immediate future, five police officers, and possibly men serving in the Fire Department, are to be trained and certified in their use.
The delivery of the remaining three UAVs is expected to be completed by Israel by the end of the year. These are larger volume aircraft with different technical characteristics and operational capabilities. They are powered not by battery but by special fuel, can stay airborne for over 20 hours and have an operational range of up to 100 kilometers. After their delivery they will also undergo test flights. The procurement of the six UAVs was agreed by the former Minister of Public Order Vasilis Kikilias and the purchase cost amounted to just under 3 million euros.
See also the relevant video with the test flights at the link below:
Source: iefimerida.gr
