Dubai has a drone that can defuse bombs remotely

The Dubai Police have created a drone that can control explosives remotely, making it the first of its kind in the world. The drone was designed and produced by First Corporal Hamad Rashid Al Falasi and First Sergeant Mohammed Sulaiman Al Balushi from the explosives security department.

First Corporal Al Falasi said: "It is the first-of-its-kind in the world, with an airtime of 10 minutes and is sufficient to carry a water cannon to disable bombs and can be operated remotely."

He said the idea of inventing the aircraft came after a long research with his colleague. "We wanted to find out something faster than a vehicle to disable bombs and discovered the idea of inventing a drone to carry water cannons that can be fired to defuse bombs. The process of designing the drone lasted three days. Several attempts were made for months until it became operational."

First Sergeant Al Balushi explained that the process of inventing the aircraft underwent many attempts, including night experiments using laser, camera and screen.

"During the first experiment, the drone fell and later we realised it was due to its heavy weight of 6kg. We imbibed scientific weight reduction methods used in aviation and tried six launches. This drone will now be the first responder in dealing with time bombs that require fast handling. It can also be used to break glass and windows to inspect and detect explosives. The inbuilt camera can be used to detonate explosives remotely," he added.

This was not the first time that First Sergeant Al Balushi was appreciated for his innovation. He has registered five patents with the Ministry of Economy besides the drone.

The aircraft was tested in the presence of Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, who praised the explosives security department. "The department is always seeking to keep abreast of everything by adopting advanced methods in technical and scientific developments," he said.

Maj-Gen Al Marri also stressed the keenness of the Dubai Police to support innovations that serve and consolidate security.

Brigadier-General Abdullah Al Haiti, director-general of the general directorate of security of organisations, establishments and emergencies, thanked the police chief for his "continuous support and personal follow-up to all phases of aircraft development and innovation". "He was keen to attend the experiment and launch the drone," said Al Haiti.

Source: Khaleej Times