A new project in the United Kingdom will explore if UAS could “boost missions” by visiting rescue sites ahead of air, sea or land based recovery teams, and provide a full picture of the situation to help develop the appropriate response.

The project, which was announced by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), will also examine how current regulation can be developed to unlock the potential of UAS, and help those in distress on the UK’s coastline by making rescues safer and more efficient.

“Drone technology has enormous potential for our search and rescue teams, who save lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani.

“This ground-breaking project will not only hope to boost the capabilities of our already fantastic teams but will also boost our ability to spot pollution hazards and protect our precious marine environment.”

MCA notes that in 2019, its civilian search and rescue helicopters responded to an average of seven missions per day, saving more than 1,600 people in the process. In total, the MCA coordinated more than 22,000 incidents and rescued more than 7,000 people.

“I am extremely proud and excited that the MCA has taken the brave step to take the lead in the development and implementation of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drones in UK airspace,” says Phil Hanson, aviation technical assurance manager at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

“The use of drones in search and rescue, counter pollution and maritime aerial observation operations will potentially increase overall efficiency and also reduce the risk to our personnel – allowing the MCA to discharge its international obligations effectively.”