Supplying the drone responders

Drone supplier, Enterprise UAV gives a company overview and provides an interview for how drones are used within law enforcement

Caelus Drones Ltd was formed in January 2018 and in that time we have been proud to work with many important organisations such the Police, Fire Service, the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice to name a few but we soon found our passion for working with any organisation using drones for good.

Fast forward 5 years and we decided it was time to rebrand which is why we are pleased to launch the new name of Caelus Drones to Enterprise UAV. We believe the new trading name much better suits our ethos and tells the customer instantly what we do!

We supply drones, payloads and C-UAS systems from Autel, Parrot, DJI, Dedrone, CZI Industries, Elistair and many more high-quality manufacturers with a variety of specialisms allowing Enterprise UAV customers to be at the forefront of technology and be the best at what they do whatever the application.

We can also help with training and CPD at all levels. We are delighted to have Chris Rainford on board who is one of the most experienced Emergency Response UAV pilots and trainers in the industry. Chris can help with all training from entry level for new recruits to bespoke CPD training for any specific areas that your organisation needs help with.

Contact Enterprise Uav

Caelus Drones Ltd t/a Enterprise UAV Limestone Suite

Fern Court Business Centre

22A Moor Lane Clitheroe

Lancashire BB7 1BE

(please note: visits by appointment only) tel:+44(0)1200 871 146 info@enterpriseuav.co.uk

We have been supplying drones to Lancashire Police for a few years so we decided to ask PC Simon Carnegie from Lancashire Police Tactical Operations Drone / Counter Drone Team about the drones they have used in the past and how they find the latest drones in comparison!

What drone did you used to use and how the drones you use today compare?

Aeryon R60 SKYRANGER was the prior big drone, this was a great first drone which proved very reliable, the wind resistance was its biggest selling point, being tested in constant wind speeds of 50mph, which even to this day is very impressive, its manoeuvrability was a slight issue with it being controlled by a tablet.

What types of missions do you use drone for?

We use our drones for a mixture of reasons, some of these reasons are as follows: locating missing persons / locating offenders / overwatch for warrant execution / pursuit resolution footage with tracking of runners / scene recreation videos for court / scene imagery and firearms incidents.

Have you had any success in the first months of use?

The M300 is considerably more used friendly in the sense that you can fly it with sticks, to get the angles you require much quicker and smoother, the set-up time is drastically reduced, 1 minute on the M300, however the R60 was closer to 7 minutes. Which when time is critical, every second counts. The only downside is the reduced wind resistance, which has meant we have had to decline some requests which could have been flown with the Skyranger. This number isn't a lot.

Signal wise, the R60 used a base station, which came often with connection issues, the M300 doesn't use one, signal on a whole has been good with the M300, only locating signal black spots occasionally, which forced the drone back to home and land. In these instances, the drone has behaved as expected.

The R60 could only have one payload at a time, therefore, the choice was optical zoom or Thermal, which was a huge shame. The M300 uses both Thermal and optical in the single payload, there is a huge bonus given that you can attach the dual payload bracket, we now fly with both the H20T camera and a spotlight, which assists with negating subjects and directing officers to a heat source.

Have you had any success in the first months of use?

We located a missing person who was located in a wooded area, the thermal was incredible, the officers were easily guided in as we lit the area up with the spotlight.

What is your favourite feature and why?

The dual payload option is my favourite feature, its really useful out there in the field.

Would you recommend this to other forces and blue light organisations?

Yes, I would recommend this drone, the amount of features and multiple payload options is great, the quality of the thermal camera is excellent. Battery life is around 45 minutes per flight, depending on conditions, Geo fencing is an issue in the beginning, but once you have completed the QE forms and unlocked all your controllers, there are no issues accessing geo zones.

Overall how would you rate the drones you purchased and dealing with Caelus Drones from enquiry to delivery?

Richard from Caelus drones was superb to deal with, made it very easy and personal, he was always quick to respond and was very reasonable on price. He is a genuine, trustworthy person and I am more than pleased that we purchased 4 full systems / payloads and Peli cases through Caelus, we will certainly be purchasing with them in the future.