French Interior Ministry chooses Sagem’s Patroller drone system for operational civil security trials

Sagem (Safran group) has been selected by the Civil Security Division of the French Ministry of the Interior, in a competitive bidding process, to conduct operational trials with the Patroller™ surveillance drone system.
 

During this series of tests, the Patroller system will offer complete image surveillance services in the Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur region of southern France to support a broad spectrum of civil security missions. It will be fitted with the Euroflir gyrostabilized optronics pod, also by Sagem, including both daytime and infrared sensors. Remotely operated from a ground station via a real-time link, this payload will enable the detection and precision location of fire starts, thus offering invaluable aid to fire-fighting and search & rescue (SAR) teams.

The Patroller ground station, located at the Canjuers military camp, will be connected via radio and satellite links to the French Civil Security Division’s command centers. Units in the field will also be equipped with a Sagem RVT portable remote video terminal, enabling the direct reception of images from the Patroller drone in flight.

Based at the Cannes-Mandelieu airport, the Patroller aircraft will be operated in drone mode, although it will also carry a pilot to enable it to integrate civilian airspace, as required by current regulations.

This is the first contract for the Patroller, a 1-ton-class medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone, with optional manned operation, based on an S-15 aircraft built by Stemme of Germany and certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The contract was awarded following four successful series of tests, including the last in drone mode, performed in June at the Istres air base.

Patroller draws on the technologies developed by Sagem for the Sperwer Mk II tactical drone system, and the experience logged by this system during deployment in Afghanistan. While keeping costs under control, Patroller also meets defense, homeland security and civil security requirements for long-endurance surveillance missions. The system’s modular design means that it can be fitted with pod-mounted payloads and satellite links for missions lasting 20 to 30 hours and more, at a maximum altitude of 25,000 ft.

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