Integrating Drones into Your Self Defense and Security Plan Part 1: Capabilities

                I see it everywhere. “The Drone War is an atrocity”. Yes, sir or ma’am, it is. That has nothing to do with this blog. Modern “prosumer” drones, which are professional level quadcopters with high end optics and +/- 30mins of flight time are a tool. A tool that is available to anyone who can afford it. You don’t need a license to purchase, but you do need one to operate. More on that later. How can someone integrate an aerial surveillance tool into their everyday life, when the aircraft can only be in the air for about 30 minutes? Well, for constant surveillance, you can’t, nor should you. That’s not what the tool is for, unless you have big money. Drone in a box options exist but are out of reach for the ordinary person. So, let’s get into it. 

                First, I want to talk about drone options. That will be this blogs focus. Right now, I recommend Autel products. Autel drones are not geofenced. The software will let you take off, even if you are in a FAA restricted zone. No, I am not advocating flying your drone near an airport, that’s reckless and irresponsible. But the industry leader DJI has a habit of being overly restrictive, even when in a legally permissible class of airspace. The rules of using the national airspace are a different subject, so feel free to look those up, but for the purposes of this blog, they won’t apply.

                Autel comes in different colors now, VS their bright orange signature of old. I recommend getting the grey one, as it blends in with the sky easily. The Nano+ balances the options of wind resistance, high end camera, and image transmission distance. It is lightweight, portable, and easily deployable. The controller is simple, but it does require a phone. That is a downside as there is no smart controller that works independent of the phone. If you want just the controller and drone to function without a phone, then the EVO 2 Pro 6k is the drone for you. It does not have remote ID built into it, high wind resistance, and the controller has a screen that allows you to see through the camera without the need for a phone or tablet attached. The Evo2 Pro Version 3 has a smart controller that does everything, but remote ID is built into the version 3, so I do not recommend it. 

                There are other brands, but their trustworthiness is not established, and the American drone company 3DO works almost exclusively with government. I would stay away. Parrot is a French company who makes reliable drones and would be a good fit. 

                FPV drones vs camera drones. FPV drones are fast, light, and allow you to maneuver in ways an ordinary quadcopter won’t. It also removes your situational awareness, and while I can think of scenarios where fast moving FPV drones would be great, for non-team-based tactics, it would be inadvisable. 

                Sensors. RGB cameras (visible light) are the standard on most drones. With high end drones they come on a 3-axis gimbal that allows image stability and panning down to 90 degrees. Never buy a drone without a gimbal. Fixed camera drones become useless for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnoitering (ISR). Near Infrared or NIR drones allow you to see at night. If you can afford one of these, it can be useful, and has an RGB camera, so it would be a great overall option. Autel offers these on the EVO Enterprise series of drones, but for much more money. If you can afford it, this is a great option. Thermal imaging drones are the next step up, and again if you can afford it, this is your do it all drone. Thermal imaging is harder to hide from and offers night and daytime visuals. If you are surrounded by trees with a thick canopy, thermal imaging is the way to go. Whether you have normal RGB, NIR, or Thermal drones, the uses can vary. Future blogs will delve into the uses for each one. 

                Payloads. The larger drones such as the EVO 2 Pro enterprise drones offer attachments that can carry small cargo loads. Nothing heavy. Something about the size and weight of a baseball. This can be useful in certain situations. Enterprise versions also come with loudspeakers. You can use the drone to move to a designated point, then speak through the speaker using a pre-recorded statement. Useful for letting people know they are being watched and their location is known. There is also a floodlight option available. You can light up areas with the drone. Good for lighting up target areas, or for viewing things that go bump in the night. The flood light option is cheaper than the NIR but removes the stealth option. 

                Capabilities. Mapping is something that can be done for free using an open-source program called WebODM. Installation is manual, so it requires some technical computer knowledge, but there are many videos online walking you through the process. The process of creating orthomosiac maps requires a hefty computer, but low-res maps can be done on most ordinary computers, and still be useful. More on this in following blogs. Digital zoom on 6k high-res cameras is quite good. You don’t need to be flying near an object to get a good look at it. Taking a picture or video of an object 100 meters away will still yield useable results. Transmission distance is a consideration. The enterprise models and the EVO 2 Pro offer higher distances, even beyond visual line of sight. (Flying beyond line of sight is illegal) The different optical payloads offer different capabilities, but all come down to getting a good visual in different conditions. 

                Flight time. All the modern prosumer drones offer close to 30 minutes of flight time depending on the environmental conditions. Colder weather, above freezing, will yield better propeller efficiency. Warm or hot weather yields lower efficiency. Wind obviously affects the power output which also decreases flight time. I get about 27 minutes of continuous flight time in hot moderately windy Oklahoma conditions on my EVO 2 Pro V2. Multiple batteries would be a good investment, although they are expensive. Averaging $200 USD, they are worth it for continued operations. Better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Recharge time is a few hours per battery from empty to full. So plan accordingly.

                This is the first installation. Researching the drone you need for the situation and your geographical location is important. While Autel is a great option for the reasons stated, there are other options out there that are cheaper. Just make sure they have no geofencing, 3-axis gimbal, and decent transmission range. Holy Stone drones come to mind. They are a cheap alternative, with good capabilities, but sensor quality suffers. The most expensive part of the drone is the sensor. Do your own research, and if there is something I missed, comment below. Next blog is how to use orthomosiac maps to plan for different scenarios and create defensive plans for possible scenarios. 

In Liberty