The 120 thermal drones have a range of up to 7 kilometers during the day and 2 kilometers at night, with a high level of image accuracy even in minimal light.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has deployed 120 thermal drones to ensure security and smooth travel during this year’s Eid al-Fitr holiday period.

The drones are being operated by trained teams from the agency every day, from morning to night, Basarnas head Kusworo said here on Wednesday. The operation will last from April 3 to 18, 2024.

During the period, Basarnas will focus on operating the drones for security patrols of traffic flow on interprovincial roads, toll roads, and sea crossings throughout Indonesia.

Kusworo informed that the visual results from the drones will be automatically fed to information centers at the offices of Basarnas, the National Police (Polri), the Ministry of Transportation, and other relevant authorities.

This will allow prompt rescue efforts in case of any incident.

“For example, if there is traffic congestion or a traffic accident on land/sea that needs evacuation, we can immediately send a helicopter,” he explained.

He said that using drones is highly effective in minimizing the risks faced by victims and tackling potential congestion when a traffic accident occurs or when a vehicle breaks down.

The 120 thermal drones have a range of up to 7 kilometers during the day and 2 kilometers at night, with a high level of image accuracy even in minimal light.

The drones ability has been tested by the Basarnas team when carrying out a special travel operation for the 2023 Christmas and 2024 New Year holidays.

He explained that at that time, the system helped accelerate efforts to tackle traffic congestion on several toll roads by up to 50 percent.

“This is because patrols will be far more dynamic so they can complement the functions of static CCTVs, which are already very good on toll roads,” he said.

According to a survey carried out by the Ministry of Transportation, 193.6 million people are projected to participate in the homecoming exodus to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which is predicted to fall on April 10. The homecoming exodus is predicted to peak around April 5–7.

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Translator: M Riezko, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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