Israel unveils new non-military helicopter drone for search and rescue missions

Israeli engineers this week unveiled a new unmanned helicopter with advanced scanning capabilities for non-military tasks such as search and rescue.

A squadron of the ‘MultiFlyer’ drones will be created to assist with disaster area monitoring, for instance by guiding rescuers to their target locations, and could be be used by police for traffic control at large events and to secure sensitive sites.

The aerial vehicles, which can fly for up to 2.5 hours, could also be used for maritime and agricultural surveys, said its developers at firms such as Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Simplex and Alpha Unmanned Systems (AUS).

Using optical scanning systems powered by AI lets the smartphone-controlled helicopter fly and scan autonomously, while a clever command and control set-up allows for “several synchronised missions, including automated take-off and landing, flight routes, and mission management”.