TrakkaCam demonstration on fixed-wing DA42 MPP turns into a critical Search and Rescue Mission in the North Sea.

A fixed-wing DA42 MPP out of Ostend, Belgium, outfitted with a TrakkaCam imager, demonstrating the new surveillance and SAR capabilities when the demo turned into a search and rescue mission in the North Sea off the coast of Zeebrugge. Four immigrants were reported in distress on a small boat transporting about 24 migrants. Having performed the demonstration the day before, the crew had the aircraft and rescue operation readied and airborne in under 15 minutes. Due to inclement weather, the aircraft was forced to fly at 1,000 ft at 120 knots. The “tiny dingy” containing 24 people was located 20 minutes after take-off. The Diamond DA42 MMP aircraft was equipped with Trakka Systems EO/IR turreted sensor, CarteNav’s AIMS-ISR mission management system, and Sentient Vision System’s ViDAR VMS-5 surveillance pod; the perfect storm for the critical mission at hand.