Page 24 - Signal Summer 2018

| DRONES |

ing against unnecessary risk while on an operation. The see we have them and are going to help them, it gives us
concept of utilising drones on naval operations was the access to more information and enables us to prioritise
brainchild of Lt Cdr Caoimhin MacUnfraidh, who worked our response,” Lt Cdr Watson explained.
wit Lt Cdr Watson and other personnel on how drones The drones which the Naval Service have trialled, with
could be operated and what exactly were the objectives considerable success, on Operation Sophia are commer-
that it could provide to the Naval Service and their opera- cially available versions, the Phantom 4 Pro. The Phantom
tions. can stay airborne for approximately 35 minutes and has
“Although we are all naval service professionals, the a range of approximately 8km. In a perfect scenario in
fact is that every time you put a boat into the water with the future, the Naval Service will hopefully operate drones
a crew there is a degree of inherent risk involved. On which are specialised for their purposes, but as a means
Operation Sophia, where this technology was piloted, of displaying the capability and usefulness of the technol-
our crews frequently encounter very poor vessels; with ogy, the Phantom is serving this purpose well.
very distressed people on board, this can lead to tense Another example of what they can contribute to a mis-
situation. For instance, if we need to return to the ship sion is the ability to gather intelligence, particularly in
the get more equipment, those in the vessel can think relation to those who are suspected of profiting from the
we’re abandoning them and panic. It’s vital to keep the desperate situation in which refugees are frequently found
situation as calm as possible, so with a drone we can fly in the Mediterranean. During one patrol, the Naval Service
it down close to the vessel and do a headcount of how captured footage of a suspected facilitator of people
many people we are dealing with. This in turn contributes smuggling, observing him changing clothes before the
to better degree of calm amongst refugees, as they can refugees on a craft he was piloting had been rescued, and

Drones are an immense benefit when it comes to
assessing refugee craft prior to intercepting.

Utilising drone technology mitigates againts risk to personnel and vessels on Operation Sophia.

34 | | SUMMER ‘18 |