land rover’s ‘project hero’ for the red cross comes with a roof-mounted drone

jaguar land rover’s latest special operations vehicle—project hero—has been unveiled at the geneva motor show 2017. the ride features world-first drone technology embedded into a besboke version of the new 3.0 litre TD engine-powered land drover discovery, specially engineered for the austrian red cross to help save lives by speeding up response times to disasters. 

the specially-designed vehicle has a drone that can take off and land from the roof of the car. land rover has used magnetic retention technology and self-centering drone technology that allows the craft to land on ‘project hero’ even when the car is in motion, and has successfully become the world’s first car with such a function. the craft can be controlled from the vehicle using a tablet app that allows occupants to access the surrounding environment as they drive. ‘project hero’ is also equipped with multiple frequency radio equipment enabling contact to be made in a variety of situations, and an attachment system to securely fix a variety of equipment.

the roof-mounted drone enhances the discovery’s already outstanding capability, and when airborne, live footage can be transmitted to the red cross’s emergency response teams to helping them respond more quickly and effectively to landslides, earthquakes, floods and avalanches. land changes such as these can render traditional maps inefficient, so the drone is designed to give a bird’s eye view that allows rescuers to investigate an emergency scene from a safe distance. the bespoke vehicle also features a heavy-duty sliding flow in the rear load space—which may be deployed as an additional work surface, strategically positioned LED lighting to aid night vision, and power supply points which accept plug arrangements from different regions.

john edwards—managing director at jaguar land rover special operations—gives his insight into the project, explaning that the vehicle is ‘the optimum combination of enhanced capability and innovative technology.’ the launch of the new discovery is the latest collaborative project in a 64-year relationship between land rover and the red cross, which has already seen he company provide 120 vehicles for use by the charity. ‘project hero’ will be based at the austrian red cross training center in erzberg, and in vienna, for 12 months from june 2017. it will be used in simulations to develop new and innovative solutions for disaster relief, and on test-runs for complex desister scenarios. the vehicle will also be used when the red cross provides emergency support at times of natural disasters.