Jaguar Land Rover’s (www.jaguarlandrover.com) Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division has designed and engineered a bespoke version of the new Land Rover Discovery for use by the Austrian Red Cross.

The Project Hero vehicle was presented to the world’s media for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show (9-19 March).

Land Rover has supported the Red Cross since 1954 and has supplied around 120 cars; Project Hero is the first with a roof-mounted drone.

A fully integrated landing system featuring self-centring technology and magnetic retention is said to be a ‘world first’, enabling the drone to land on the vehicle when it is in motion. The drone can be controlled from the safety of the vehicle, using a tablet app.

With the drone airborne, live footage can be transmitted to Red Cross emergency-response teams, helping them respond more quickly and effectively to landslides, earthquakes, floods and avalanches.

The SVO says that dramatic landscape changes can make maps redundant, adding to the difficulty of finding and rescuing survivors, but the drone will allow rescuers to investigate an emergency scene from a safe distance.

Project Hero is also equipped with multiple-frequency radio equipment, enabling contact to be made in a variety of situations.

The vehicle will be based at the Austrian Red Cross training centre in Erzberg for 12 months from June. The drone will be used in simulations to develop new and innovative techniques for disaster relief and on test runs for natural-disaster scenarios, including at night and in dense forests.

Project Hero will also be used when the Red Cross provides emergency support at times of natural disasters — such as heavy snow or floods — or accidents.

SVO managing director John Edwards said: “Project Hero is the optimum combination of enhanced capability and innovative technology.”