Uttar Pradesh police order drones
Sagar Defence Engineering, India, has received an order from the Uttar Pradesh State Police Department (UPSPD) for 84 drones
Each drone will reportedly cost around ₹1 million (US$12,214) per drone – less than half of the initial ₹2.4 million per unit cost initially envisioned by the police department. The contract was awarded via a ‘reverse auction’ on the Government eMarketplace (GeM) web portal.
The drones will be used to provide on-demand aerial surveillance capabilities to ground-based UPSPD personnel, and to support search and rescue (SAR) operations.
The drones will be capable of remaining airborne for up to one hour, and are equipped with both electro-optic and infrared cameras, as well as a loudspeaker capable of broadcasting announcements.
The UK’s Devon and Cornwall Police have also acquired drones, to monitor high-incident roads for speeding motorists.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.