On Jan. 24, Airborne Response completed a full-scale training exercise called Exercise Lightning Shield, during which it provided aerial support for the U.S. Army National Guard, as well as specialized elements of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. A Miami-based provider of “Mission Critical Unmanned Solutions” for industry and government, Airborne Response says that by deploying a force made up of UAS and Tethered Aerostat Systems (TAS) flight teams, it was able to provide “comprehensive low-altitude umbrella” capable of delivering aerial intelligence throughout the simulated disaster response exercise.

The Brownsville Police and Fire departments in Brownsville, Texas recently collaborated to locate a missing 88-year-old man using a UAS. Approximately three hours after the man was reported missing, he was located in a grassy area by the fire department thanks to the UAS. The man was then transported to a local hospital, and as of Tuesday, Jan. 8, was in stable condition. “This rescue was a team effort with a great response from the Brownsville Fire and Police Departments,” says Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett V. Sheldon.

The U.S. Forest Service is requesting information from industry about using drones to create controlled burns to help fight forest fires.   In a year when fires have raged out of control in the West, particularly California, the Forest Service has posted a request for information about how drones could create controlled or prescribed burns, also known as hazard reduction burning, to reduce the amount of fuel available to a fire.   The RFI, which has a response date of Jan. 25, may also include a live demonstration of an “aerial ignition system,” according to an RFI posted on Federal Business Opportunities. Such a demonstration could occur between February and May 2019.  

UAS developer and manufacturing company ALTI UAS has launched the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’, which is a search and rescue version of the company’s ALTI Transition VTOL UAS. Based in the coastal town of Knysna, South Africa, ALTI UAS notes that the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is being launched following some of the worst fires in South African history, which recently effected the area. Designed for search and rescue missions, the new ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is a specific version of the ALTI Transition UAS, the company explains. Described as compact, rapid, smart, and advanced, the UAS includes a unique vibration damping mount for the combustion engine, allowing it to fly up to 12 hours per flight, with a range of 900 kilometers.