Page 25 - Signal Summer 2018

| DRONES |

was clearly trying to give the impression that he was one of observing potential drugs or contraband smuggling, pol-
the refugees. When he was brought on board the Eithne, lution offences and illegal fishing. “When you consider the
along with the others from the craft, he was discreetly scale of the territory which the Naval Service has to patrol,
observed for two days and when the Eithne reached an which is ten times greater than Ireland’s land mass in size,
Italian port to offload the refugees, he was pointed out it makes sense to utilise whatever technology we can in
to Italian authorities and taken into custody. The Naval order to gain an operational edge in terms of our outputs
Service was also able to provide the video evidence which and the intelligence and information we can gather,” he
was captured by the drone to Italian authorities. added. “In terms of how we piloted the drones, I think it’s
The potential of utilising drone technology across a a good example of our ‘can-do’ attitude. We identified
broader spectrum of naval operations is something which the need for a particular capability, we sourced a suitable
Lt Cdr Watson would be keen to see. “I think in terms of product to address that need and we devised a way of
what we have used and needed it for to date, it has been deploying it in a way that bodes well for the use of simi-
an outstanding success,” he said, adding that there have lar technology in the future. We are constantly aware of
been massive benefits in terms of mitigating against cost constraints relating to cost, but more importantly we are
concerns and most importantly, safety concerns, while constantly seeking ways to enhance our outputs as an
on duty in the Mediterranean. There is also the potential organisation. I think that this is a good example of doing
for the Naval Service to develop a dedicated capability both and I look forward to seeing it develop more within
in using remotely operated systems such as drones to the Service and indeed within the Defence Forces as a
obtain intelligence on other naval operations, such as whole.”

Drone image from above the LE Eithne, showing the refugees on deck.

The drones have been used for intelligence gathering and analysis purposes during the mission, with considerable success.

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