Aeromao wins international Bid to supply its water-landing Aeromapper Talons UAVs to United Nations FAO Philippines.
Early in 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations FAO Representation Philippines issued an international invitation to Bid for the procurement of a series of Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for monitoring and surveillance of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF). Tender Reference no: 2022/FAPHI/FAPHI/7101970 (Project GCP/PHI/068/IFA).
The Aeromapper Talon Amphibious made by Canadian Company Aeromao Inc., was selected as the UAV system of choice for this project, which is to be carried out in Philippines. The drones were supplied to the UN office during the first half of 202 in Surigao del Sur, Philippines.
This project is a key component of a larger plan with the objective of Enhancing Results-based Monitoring and Evaluation Through Innovative ICT Solutions.
Specifically, the project aims to generate and demonstrate replicable models for the implementation of this technology into current operations to detect, monitor, and document Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) and establishing a monitoring system to effectively combat IUUF.
Among some of the specific technical requirements set in the invitation for bidding were: a fixed-wing unmanned aerial system capable of Long-range control of at least 30kms away from operators for BVLOS flights, real-time long-range video downlink for surveillance purposes, at least 1.5hr flight time, wind tolerance of at least 40km/hr, high-resolution mapping camera, and all operational support and training packages. As an added benefit the drones are capable of landing on the surface of the water which facilitates maritime or coastal operations of law enforcement agencies.
About UN-FAO Philippines:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations with more than 190 member countries. Since its inception, FAO has worked to improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to global economic growth. Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
About the Aeromapper Talon Amphibious:
it’s a fully autonomous water-landing fixed-wing drone exclusively developed by Aeromao Inc., that can be easily hand-launched from a small boat and provides a very wide range of observation to the operators with its dual-camera arrangement. One camera is set to snap high-resolution vertical imagery for map-making purposes, while the forward-facing camera allows the pilot to observe the surroundings in high detail from the distance. The ability to use the land and water as a landing strip makes the operators free to fly from almost any location, including small boats, by not depending on any type of landing pad on the boats.