Zurich police, in co-operation with the Swiss military, used the Ruag Ranger unmanned air vehicle, designated Aufklärungs-Drohnen-System (ADS) 95 by the Swiss air force, to monitor crowds of people leaving a football match between Zurich and Toulouse on 29 November.
The Swiss city's police service wants to use the Ranger to monitor crowds for potential trouble before, during and after the games to be held there during next year's Euro 2008 football championships. The 29 November night trial lasted for 1h at the end of the game. It will be followed by another, daytime, trial in January or February.
"It was a successful trial. It is not clear if the local government will allow us to use the drone for the Euro championship. We want another trial to show it can work during the day. Hopefully the local government will allow us to use it during Euro 2008," says the Zurich police.
The Ranger is powered by a two-stroke, two-cylinder engine, has a wingspan of 5.71m (18.7ft), a maximum take-off weight of 280kg (616lb) with a payload of 45kg, a loitering speed of 70kt (129km/h) and an endurance of up to 9h. The Swiss air force designation ADS 95 refers to its year of procurement, 1995.
The European Championships will take place from 7-29 June next year. Matches will take place in Austria and Switzerland in eight cities across the two countries including Zurich, Innsbruck, Bern and Salzburg.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
