TN Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corp supplies surveillance drones to coastal cops

CHENNAI: To enhance its ability to monitor the expansive coastal front in the State, the Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corporation, which functions under the Higher Education Department, has supplied surveillance drones to Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group, a wing of the State police.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that the surveillance drones would enable the Coastal Security Group personnel to perform monitoring tasks quicker and more efficiently. "These spy drones have a great advantage over stationary cameras, as offenders cannot easily escape out of the covered area,” the official said.

While there are several types of drones, each tailored for specific surveillance requirements, it is mainly the fixed-wing UAVs that are used in coastal areas, as they do not have to be recharged frequently, giving operational flexibility to the personnel, the official said.

About 50 drones would be supplied to both Coastal Security Group and special task force teams, he added. "These drones will send videos to the control room, where operators manoeuvre it remotely,” he said.

Such drones are also very cost effective compared to undertaking surveillance using helicopter or physical patrols, the official said.

The corporation was established in partnership with the Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, in order to cater to the requirements of various departments of the State government through drone-based solutions and services.

Apart from designing, manufacturing and trading in all types of drones, the corporation also provides a large number of drone-based services like agricultural pesticide spraying monitoring, mapping, surveillance, search and rescue, volumetric analysis for the user department, etc.