RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — It weighs less than three pounds but has big capabilities.
“They allow us to operate now essentially 24 hours a day,” said Col. Dennis Bissell. The North Carolina Wing Commander for Civil Air Patrol is talking about the Teal 2 drone that will specifically be used to provide emergency assistance in North Carolina.
“The sensor that these drones carry, powered by FLIR through the Teal 2 drone, really allows us to have military-grade technology at our fingertips to serve the citizens of North Carolina,” said Bissell.
The group is currently training with the drones that will be used to help assist N.C. Emergency Management with everything from missing person searches to disaster recovery and assessments. Bissell said the drones will not only be utilized in North Carolina but also surrounding states.
“These drones really allow us to take that to a whole other level,” said Bissell.
George Matus, founder and CEO of Teal Drones, said, “Teal 2 is the world’s leading military-grade sUAS for night operations and our partnership with NCWG is a great example of how technology developed for military purposes can also be used for civilian purposes helping to keep Americans safe at home.”
The state has utilized similar drone technology to help with things like assessing flooding on Interstates 40 and 95 after Hurricane Florence. The Teal 2 drones will be able to do more as Matus said the drones are optimized for nighttime operations with high-resolution thermal imaging.
“This will be our primary go-to drone for night operations 100 percent of the time,” said Bissell. He added, “As technology evolves, so do we, and we have to be able to take care of our partners and our citizens across the state the best way that we can.”
Brian Haines, a public information officer with N.C. Emergency Management, said the agency purchased 10 of the drones through a Homeland Security grant program.
“We recognize the value of the Civil Air Patrol and what they do for us in terms of helping us out in crisis situations, especially in search and rescue operations.”
Haines said the military-grade drones will enhance their efforts even more.
“Their ability to ramp up and get into action quickly… whatever the case may be, it’s really important to the state and the residents in North Carolina.”
“It’s a very exciting time for us, we’re finally going to have enough equipment to cover the entire state,” said Captain Ralph Newcomb, NCWG Assistant Director of Operations for the Unmanned Aerial Systems (Suas) program. Newcomb said he and other pilots are currently undergoing training to become certified to operate the device.
On Monday, Newcomb demonstrated how the technology will be used. He said, “It’s very well built, it’s a sturdy drone, one of the things that’s unique about this aircraft is that we can do repairs in the field.” Newcomb said the drones will be distributed across the state to provide faster and better coverage unlike before. Newcomb hopes to have the drones ready to go as soon as possible.
In a press release, NCWG Director of Operations for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Captain Robert Rimmer also expressed his excitement with the new technology. He said, “The NC Wing drone program grew by leaps and bounds… with the introduction of the Teal 2 drones.”
