Search-and-rescue (SAR) is among the most popular missions embraced by commercial and recreational drone fliers.  Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR), founded in 1965, first embraced the SAR drone mission in 2018 and has since made it a core capability.  The group provided aid to some 740 lost or injured hikers and skiers on Scotland’s mountainous western coast in 2022 alone.  At least one of SMR’s 25 volunteer rescue teams was activated on 281 days that year, an average of 2.5 per day.  While some teams rely heavily on snowmobiles or ground crews to carry out the actual rescue operation, drones are speeding their ability to identify those in need and reducing their chances of suffering severe injury or death from prolonged exposure to the elements.

SMR initially relied on a simple aerial survey drone that could scan a search area based on information provided by emergency dispatchers.  But in recent years, SMR has turned to the state-of-the-art DJI Matrice 30T, which is especially equipped for SAR missions under extreme conditions. The drone features 4 state-of-the-art zoom cameras that can produce high resolution images up to 1.2 miles, including a thermal imaging camera that can identify victims at night based on their heat signature alone. The drone also comes with a GPS laser finder that displays the precise location of victims to field rescuers.  The M30T is deployable in less than a minute’s time and is small enough to fit in a large backpack. It also has the advantage of being able to fly in all-weather conditions – especially critical in a region of Scotland known for constant fog, mist, snow or rainfall.

SMR is not alone in depending on the DJI M30T.  In the United States, one of the nation’s leading SAR organizations is located in Weber County, UT, which is a prime tourist area for mountain climbers, snowboarders and skiers.  Kyle Nordsfors, who heads the County Sheriff’s SAR team, notes:  “It used to take us hours and hours if not days to find the people we were searching for but with today’s technology, we can find them quickly.”  His commander, Lt. Mark Norton, who hired him five years ago, says:  “At the time, we felt we were behind the curve when it came to drones but with Kyle’s help, we soon learned the immense value of a drone to a SAR rescue.  Not only have we cut the search time in half; we’ve also cut the rescue time in half.”

In one of its most notable rescues in February 2022, a snowboarder got lost; the sun was setting, temperatures were dropping quickly and a major storm was about to hit the area.  Even worse, the snowboarder’s cell signal had become lost.  But armed with knowledge of his general area and using GPS, the M30T drone pilot searched a broad area and while hovering at a high altitude, managed to find the snowboarder after a couple of hours using the drone’s thermal imaging camera.  The drone not only guided the ground rescuers directly to him but also plotted their best evacuation route down the mountain, to avoid further problems due to darkness and the gathering snowfall.

The drone pilot, using the M30T’s sophisticated onboard data analytics system, was able to plot a program with various routes and then sent the information to the cell phone of each rescuer team member.  The rescue was a huge success.

DJI M30T has been called the “perfect” SAR drone.  In fact, it may be especially well suited to mountain SAR missions that require the most advanced zoom and thermal camera capabilities, an ability to deploy rapidly, a high degree of portability, enhanced battery power, and all-weather resistance.

DJI makes smaller and less expensive drones that can be utilized in SAR missions but that lack the M30T’s advanced features.  It also manufactures larger, heavier and pricier M300 and M350 models that can carry food, blankets and life preservers or be equipped with hooks and spotlights to aid in SAR missions, especially at sea. These latter models need additional time and secure space to deploy.

What sets the DJI M30T apart is its speed of deployment, precision detection and flight endurance under all weather and light conditions.  Its portability is geared to rugged snowy terrain where a secure staging area is frequently unavailable and when time is of the essence with victims stranded in extreme often sub-zero temperatures.  For all of these reasons, the DJI M30T reigns supreme.