Lockheed Indago to Assist Missing Persons Searches
An enhanced image of the Indago integrated with the Project Lifesaver antenna shows how the quadrotor will help local first responders with search and rescue operations for special needs individuals. Photo: Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin has partnered with Loen Engineering Inc. to bring unmanned aircraft systems technology to first-responder agencies through Project Lifesaver International, a nonprofit organization that provides law enforcement, fire and rescue, and other first responders with the training and tools to quickly locate missing persons with cognitive disorders.
To date, Project Lifesaver has completed nearly 3,000 rescues.
A Loen-made antenna and receiver will be integrated onto Lockheed’s Indago five-pound quadrotor drone to allow Project Lifesaver to rapidly locate missing special needs individuals with increased efficiency and range.
“Using the Project Lifesaver location device with aviation assets will extend search areas from approximately one and a half miles to well over seven miles,” says Founder and CEO of Project Lifesaver International Gene Saunders. “Integrating Lockheed Martin’s Indago with the Project Lifesaver capability is a game changer for Project Lifesaver agencies, because it offers an affordable alternative to manned aviation assets and can be used by any first-responder agency.”
