India and its Israeli Drone Aircraft

India had more than sufficient resources to deal with the effects of the tsunami which hit its southeast coast, and consequently did not need to turn to international help. There had been discussion of the Fast Israeli Rescue and Search Team (F.I.R.S.T) being sent to India's southeast province of Tamil Nadu, but in the end India felt that assistance was not required.

Nevertheless, Israel's technical know-how played a significant role in India's search and rescue effort in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami. Beginning on December 29th, and for several days following, India used Israeli-made Searcher and Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) in an attempt to use aerial reconnaissance to locate trapped survivors and missing bodies, primarily in the region of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Since these UAV's are able to relay clear photographs while in flight, the Indians were able to dispatch rescue helicopters as soon as a survivor or victim was identified on screen during the live feed. Because of their proven effectiveness, India is close to ordering another fifty Israeli UAV's, in addition to the twelve currently in their fleet. This is yet another example of how Israel's having to cope with a constant state of war preparedness has helped it to create innovative technology with humanitarian applications.

Links

Israeli drones used by India to find survivors and victims:
http://www.c4isrjournal.com/story.php?F=580988

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