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28.03.2022The AVIASPACE BREMEN Team visited Hanseatic Aviation Solutions, who showcased their latest exciting project called LARUS-PRO System on their test site at the Rotenburg/Wümme airfield. The weather condition of the day: blue skies!
The LARUS-PRO-System is a fixed-wing drone that represents an innovative and versatile means of operation for land and sea rescue services and disaster control, which is available all year round regardless of the scenario, time of day, weather and location. The drone is supplemented by various communication systems and the control unit on the ground – the ground control station.
The S360Mk.II-LARUS-PRO on its way to launch.
Designed for sea rescue
The initial system was developed as part of the three-year LARUS research project with the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS- Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger) designed for sea rescue between 2016 and 2019 and is based on the platform S360Mk.II. Within the framework of the LARUS-PRO-Project (PRO: Praxistransfer in Rettungsorganisationen – Practice Transfer in Rescue Organizations) the further users of the system are the THW (Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk) and the BRK (Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz – Bavarian Red Cross). Under difficult weather conditions, the system is designed to detect people and vehicles involved in accidents and provide real-time and situational images of major incidents.
By means of various transceivers, the drone is visible by aircraft and sea vessels and can also detect other air or sea traffic. Among other things, an AIS transceiver (Automatic Identification System) is used to make the drone “visible” to maritime traffic. The transceivers are a prerequisite for the system to be able to operate on the ground outside the controller’s field of vision.
The payloads consist of optical and electronic systems that can be exchanged in minutes thanks to the modular payload concept. For example, a video system with daylight and IR cameras can be used instead of a high-resolution photo camera.
AVIASPACE BREMEN visits Hanseatic Aviation Solutions at the airfield Rotenburg/Wümme. In focus: the LARUS PRO flight system. Drones equipped with video and photo cameras and transceivers. The drones locate and transmit the exact coordinates of missing persons and forward the data to rescue units. Find out more: www.hanseatic-avs.de
Payload and flight control data are transmitted via a direct data link between the drone and the ground control station, depending on availability. Alternatively, mobile phone networks or, over remote regions, satellite communication can be used. Switching between the different communication systems is automatic.
The team with two S360MK.II LARUS-PRO drones.
Dates and facts
In addition to the requirements for transmission technology, however, the stability and performance of the aircraft also play an essential role in rescue at sea and over land!
During test flights, altitudes of up to 760 meters were reached. This is the upper limit of uncontrolled airspace. The system is designed for speeds of up to 140 km/h and can be in the air for up to seven hours at a time. The propulsion system – an internal combustion engine – drives a generator that powers the electrical systems on board the drone. Weighing less than 30 kg and with a wingspan of 3.6 meters, the system can carry payloads weighing up to 5 kg. The system has proven its wind resistance in winds of 7 Bft (Beaufort).
The mobile data terminal allows the direct reception of data from the drone, e.g. from search and rescue forces moving autonomously in the field.
The LARUS-PRO system is so far unique and a lighthouse project of the civil security research of the BMBF, (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung – Federal Ministry of Education and Research, www.sifo.de). We are convinced that the system from Hanseatic Aviation Solutions will soon be used by rescue services and disaster control.
LARUS and LARUS-PRO are funded by the BMBF and supervised by the project management organization VDI Technology Centre.
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