Drones bolster UAE homeland security

ALKESH SHARMA / Emirates Business

Drones — also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) — have certainly come a long way in terms of their utility. More than those petty jobs of taking simple imagery or delivering light packets, drones are now seen as an asset when it comes to sprucing up homeland security of a nation.
In the UAE, where Dubai aims to become the smartest city in the world soon, relevance of drones cannot be overlooked. Industry experts say that drones can contribute significantly in ensuring UAE’s homeland security, especially of its ports and national borders.
“Drones are the new–age solutions to ensure foolproof security of any region. We are manufacturing drones that could continuously stay in the air for upto four to five hours and can collect the imagery even when visibility level is very poor. They are very useful for ports and beaches surveillance, especially those areas where it is difficult
to keep constant vigil,” Mark Crespo, Chief executive Officer of Montreal-based Marshal Drones, told Emirates Business.
“Currently our drones are operational and used for various security vigil purposes in countries including Canada, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Mexico and Vietnam. We are looking forward to find clients in the UAE and have recently opened a branch office in Sharjah. Negotiations are on and very soon we will announce some new business,” added Crespo, who also participated in this year’s International Exhibition for Security and National Resilience (ISNR) in Abu Dhabi.
According to reports, drones are leading the Middle East’s high-tech homeland security and the most advanced solutions in this segment were demonstrated at ISNR 2016.
“When it comes to safeguard the national infrastructure, GCC countries are among the early adopters of the innovative solutions that meet the most intricate requirements. We are offering the best drone technology and this region can offer good business leads through events like ISNR,” said Marc Duflot, Vice President at Thales Middle East, the French security conglomerate.
As per the findings of the Frost & Sullivan report, there is an immense business potential in the homeland security market. The report says
that the Middle East’s market for homeland security is predicted to witness a yearly growth of nearly 18.7 percent — thrice the global average — and it will reach $34 billion per year by 2020.
“Drones can add to the artillery of existing technology used for security purposes. They could be used as add-on with communications devices, advanced armoured vehicles and surveillance technology, and enhance their outputs significantly,” Jaque Lawrence, a marketing
manager with Webster Surveillance and Security in Dubai, told Emirates Business.
“Our surveillance drones are very handy, weighing between 2-kg to 5-kg and very easy to operate. They could be connected with smart devices through software and they can send live feed right on the user’s smart-phone,” pointed out Lawrence.