Unmanned aerial vehicles for law enforcement operations

The Miami-Dade Police Department is experimenting with using unmanned aerial vehicles for law enforcement operations.

Earlier attempts by other agencies to use unmanned drone aircraft have been shot down by the FAA. Miami-Dade and the Houston Police Department were recently granted permission to experiment with unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Miami-Dade PD is testing Honeywell's Micro Air Vehicle (MAV). The drone has a ceiling of more than 10,000 feet. It will be operated only by licensed pilots in the department's aviation unit.

Miami-Dade officials said the UAV would be used primarily for surveillance on SWAT operations.

The department plans to use grant money to buy the MAV. UAVs can range in cost from a few thousand to several million dollars per drone.

The gasoline-powered gMAV has just received an experimental airworthiness certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration, clearing the way for the ground-breaking experiment. Approval was granted following a demonstration flight for the FAA at a remote site in Laguna, New Mexico.

The wingless gMAV can take off and land vertically, transition to high-speed flight and hover and stare using electro-optical/infrared sensors. Miami-Dade is buying one gMAV and leasing a second for the FAA-sanctioned technology demonstration.

The 8.2kg (18lb) gMAV is Honeywell's second version of the man-portable UAV. Compared with the original tMAV developed for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the gMAV has a larger outside diameter housing twice the fuel and providing an endurance exceeding 55min at sea level.

Military gMAVs have been used in Iraq to detect improvised explosive devices. The basic UAV has fixed sensors and Honeywell is developing a follow-on version with gimballed payload. The company is also working on diesel-powered dMAV, which it expects to fly in 2008. Another version is in development for the US Army's Future Combat Systems programme.

Honeywell has begun low-rate initial production of MAVs on a new line in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sized to manufacture up to 100 vehicles a month.

The MAV ACTD is designed as a ducted fan air vehicle, and flies like a helicopter, using a propeller that draws in air through a duct to provide lift. The MAV's propeller is enclosed in the duct and is driven by a gasoline engine. A heavy fuel engine variant of the MAV will be available in 2006. The MAV is controlled using Honeywell's micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) electronic sensor technology.

The system consists of two air vehicles with support equipment of fuel, batteries, an observer/controller unit, remote video terminal and starter. Each vehicle weighs about 17 pounds fully fueled, is 13 inches in diameter and designed to be transported in a back pack. The vehicle operates at altitudes of 100 to 500 feet above ground level, and can provide forward and down-looking day or night video or still imagery. The vehicle will operate in a variety of
weather conditions including rain and moderate winds.

Soldiers can be trained on vehicle operation in less than 24 hours and then can immediately begin to operate the vehicle for proficiency training. Unlike other unmanned aerial systems, no specialized military training is needed to operate the MAV or exploit its data and imagery.