DSEI 2021 – The Home Office has been using TEKEVER’s ‘UAS-as-a-Service’ to survey the English Channel and “help prevent illegal migration and illegal fishing activities”.
“Every day, dozens of asylum seekers and refugees set off on the dangerous journey across the English Channel to reach British soil, but small boats and treacherous conditions mean many lives are in danger along the way. We are proud to be a partner of UK authorities in fighting this kind of illegal human traffic. Drones can identify humans in distress in a much faster way and help rescue teams”, said Paul Weeb, TEKEVER UK Managing director.
The firm is operating its own AR5 system from 2019 over the channel, a twin-engine fixed wing UAV designed for maritime surveillance missions.
The AR5 can fly for more than 12 hours, and carry multiple payloads, including maritime radars, synthetic aperture radars, day and night cameras and AIS and EPIRB receivers.
The specific payload package used to survey the Channel allows it to cover vast areas, detecting and recognizing potentially illegal vessels, and then track and identify them, providing the authorities with real time and highly accurate intelligence.
“TEKEVER AR3 provides flexible payload options and 16h endurance with a very reduced logistics footprint, making it ideal for the most demanding tactical scenarios. Launched with a highly mobile catapult system and with parachute or net recovery, AR3 is the ideal to create a complementary response to AR5 missions.”
TEKEVER say that their unmanned systems are developed and produced in Europe, in development centers and manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom and Portugal.
Good to see how the use of such UAVs are used to save the lives of poor unfortunate people who are all victims of white privilege, climate change , not enough diversity at the BBC in French waters.
French white privilege?
Squaddie humour
Some get it, some dont!
French white flag ?
‘<i>help prevent illegal immigration</i>’ ie, by sending Border Farce or the RNLI out to meet the migrants boats half way, they turn illegal migrants into legal ones. Zero reduction in total number, therefore the contract is money for old rope.
Politics aside, it looks like a handy capability.
Spin worthy of the MoD.
What will stop this cross channel illegal migration is law which means anyone entering illegally and nor via the acceptable channels is breaking the law and is then removed overseas for processing.
Being sent to a hotel or even an asylum camp here, like at Hythe in Kent, just encourages more as half the job is done. They are here.
France co operating would be a plus but at the end if the day who can blame them? They are happy to send them on their way, not my problem guv.
Even Barnier has changed tack and wants French borders secure. Nigel must be laughing his head off at the hypocrisy.
UAV over the channel are welcome as is any border security but come on.
Please don’t class me as Bigot but an unarmed drone come on now Dailymail readers will be fuming
I’m with you anyone who is a genuine asylum seeker would have nothing to fear by being processed offshore.
Daily mail readers would still be fuming
Umm so the home office are paying a private drive operator to patrol the channel.
Surely the MOD could do the same and get training value out of it ( and cheaper of course)
Could Tekever invent people who could stop this traffic as UK government is completely helpless.