Drones are now being tested in South Wales for the purpose of search and rescue. UAVs are best in providing the birds eye view and offer vital data that could help in search and rescue. but Phil Hanson, Aviation Technical Assurance manager at MCA, says Its still too early to comment on how we will move forward from the trials and that Drones still cannot replace helicopters, coastguard rescue teams or lifeboats.
What makes drones attractive to searchers and rescuers is their ability to fly in, move around and get out of disaster zones and hard-to-reach sites without the danger of putting real pilots and crew in harm's way, and at a fraction of the cost of using a helicopter or plane.