The Finnish Border Guard reports they will be using EMSA’s remotely piloted aircraft services from the base of Hanko to provide increased situational awareness for operational tasks in search and rescue, maritime safety and security, customs and border control, environmental protection and general law enforcement at sea.
The Finnish Border Guard says it intends to make the most of EMSA’s remotely piloted aircraft, both directly and in cooperation with other national authorities. While the flights will be performed in Finnish airspace, mission planning and data is also being coordinated and shared with both Sweden and Estonia. Part of EMSA’s regional RPAS service, the groups say this collaboration will allow the countries involved to create a common maritime picture and where appropriate to respond in close coordination with each other.
The aircraft being used is a CAMCOPTER S100 model and it is under contract to EMSA from Schiebel Aircraft. The ability to take off and land from an area smaller than 5m x 5m, flight endurance of over six hours and a range of greater than 100km all make it suitable for this purpose. Information is gathered on board from optical and infrared cameras, an AIS receiver and an automated maritime surface search sensor for detecting targets at sea.