Special Weapons and Tactics teams, also known as SWAT teams, are elite tactical units that have been trained to perform high-risk operations like hostage rescues. Members of a SWAT team are equipped with heavy-duty body armour, and often carry specialized firearms. They are also aided, whenever possible, by aerial assistance facilitating the tactical implementation of multi-angle information.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) vs. Traditional Surveillance Methods
In the past, such type of aerial assistance has traditionally been carried out with the help of helicopters. Helicopters, however, are not typically located in rural areas, so if a mission is located in such an area, helicopters slow down the response time and units to wait for them to be utilized. In addition, helicopters are also very noisy, which may hurt a mission if they are trying to move in without being noticed. Furthermore, helicopters are very costly to operate because they have very expensive equipment and also require professional personnel to operate.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be deployed instantly when needed, especially for Special Weapons and Tactics teams, cost much less than a helicopter, and also have a quiet footprint, which is especially important when used in sensitive missions. Drones also provide safer conditions for both team members and civilians alike.
When sites, multi-rotor drones are often used more often since they provide higher maneuverability and can hover more easily. UAVs can provide live streaming of detailed data, follow objects or intruders from a safe distance and quickly cover a large area, but they also record images that can identify whether anything might be wrong or missing.
A very important advantage UAVs have is their ability to collect imagery that is ideally suited for reconnaissance or rapid situation awareness. This enables the ground force units to detect and monitor potential threats from a safe distance and it reduces the requirement for the work of security guards. Furthermore, it also provides an additional oversight in instances where security guards are deployed to ensure their adherence to patrolling routines.
The speed, size, maneuverability and additional technologies such as high-definition cameras make UAVs the needed supplement to ground security teams seeking to perform monitoring tasks more quickly and efficiently. Drones also have a competitive edge over stationary cameras, as intruders can’t easily step out of sight since they can cover areas that are normally out of reach.
The Ideal Solution
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provide the ideal solution to many of the issues and limitations faced by traditional surveillance methods. Drone surveillance offers several advantages such as the ability to respond quickly to any given situation, ability to enter narrow and confined spaces, produce minimal noise, provide cheaper and more accurate methods of data collection, and can be equipped with night vision cameras and thermal sensors, allowing them to provide imagery that the human eye is unable to detect.
