New Drone Capabilities Coming to WCSAR

Thanks to an extraordinarily generous grant from The Wildhorse Foundation, we have added substantially to our search and rescue capability with the recent acquisition of a new UAS (drone).  This extremely advanced drone is highly effective for search and rescue (SAR) due to its powerful combination of high-resolution thermal and visual cameras, a laser rangefinder, and advanced AI-powered object detection. It can operate in harsh conditions, and its long flight time allows for extensive area searches to find missing persons day or night, and can often cut search times in half.

• This drone features a high-resolution thermal (infrared) camera alongside a 48 MP telephoto full color camera.

• Up to 54 minutes of forward flight and about 47 minutes of hover time, giving a long operational window.

• It has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance — meaning it can operate in rain, snow, dust or harsh weather conditions sometimes encountered during rescue missions.

• Its operational temperature range is broad (e.g. from −5 °F to 120 °F), helping assure reliability in diverse climates.

• Why it matters: Long flight time + weather-resistance = can cover larger areas, stay airborne longer, and operate in tough conditions (fog, rain, smoke, etc.) — essential for real-world SAR or disaster scenarios.

This drone will greatly enhance WSARs search capabilities by providing extra eyes in the sky that can detect subjects in harsh and difficult conditions.