Supermarket bags, boxes, tarpaulins, bottles, small pieces of plastic... these are just some of the examples of marine pollution that the M5D-Airfox solar UAV, designed by Marine Instruments, has been able to detect off the Spanish coast. These detections of accumulated plastic are part of a series of tests being carried out as part of the Fisheries Inspection operation.

This operation is led by the General Secretariat for Fisheries (SEGEPESCA), which has loaned the drone to Maritime Rescue (SASEMAR) for work to prevent and combat pollution of marine environments.

• The solar aircraft design by Marine Instruments has performed optimized sweeps for plastics in Spanish waters.
• The operation detected numerous scattered plastics and an area of concentrated plastics along the coast of Almeria.
• The UAV has several advantages over aircraft, such as the fact that it does not pollute, has a low acoustic footprint and is easy to deploy from any point along the coast.
• This preventive work is part of Fisheries Inspection, in a working group led by SEGEPESCA and in which SASEMAR and MITECO participate.

Optimized Aerial Sweeps

In addition to saving human lives at sea, Salvamento Marítimo has been tackling the challenge of plastics in the ocean for years, but Spain has some 8,000 kilometers of coastline and it is difficult to monitor such large areas. Until now, Salvamento has relied on its own manned aircraft to carry out these tasks, but the use of this type of aircraft could optimize the search work.

Thus, at the beginning of June, SASEMAR carried out various tests with the M5D-Airfox off the coast of Malaga and Almeria. In this case, the Airfox carried out operations different from those it has been carrying out for more than a year with SEGEPESCA, where it is responsible for maritime surveillance of the entire Spanish coast for the detection of illegal fishing by air. With SASEMAR, the UAV does not search for specific targets, but tries to sweep large areas of sea. For these exercises, the Galician company has carried out detailed calculation work and various tests in order to optimize the system and be able to cover the largest possible area of sea in the shortest possible time.

An UAV for Spotting Plastics in the Sea

These tests, in which the Airfox was operated for two days off the coast of Malaga and another two days off the coast of Almeria, have had good results. Specifically, in the Alboran Sea in Almeria, the aircraft detected an area with a concentration of plastics, as expected by SASEMAR. Many scattered and smaller plastics were also spotted, which is why Salvamento Marítimo considers the Airfox to be a useful tool for this operation.

Versatile dual technology for marine environments

The M5D-Airfox is a solar-powered aircraft designed specifically for use from naval platforms and for operation from the sea. It has a range of up to 10 hours in maximum sunlight, with a radio-link coverage of 18 nautical miles and a 360º HD camera with real-time transmission. In addition, it can be launched manually or by shuttle and is recovered with a net, and has special authorization from the AESA (Spanish Aviation Safety Agency) to carry out BVLOS flights (Beyond Visual Line of Sight), i.e., surveillance flights beyond visual range and without the need to request approval for each flight. Thanks to its great versatility, it can effectively take on military surveillance, tracking and detection of targets and objectives.

For all these reasons, the Airfox was acquired by the Navy after numerous exercises in support of ISR missions, both national and international. Among the exercises, it is worth highlighting its participation in the RAPAZ program, promoted by the Directorate General of Armaments and Material (DGAM), participating in exercises such as REP MUS 22, which took place in Portugal and where it operated from the Navy's BAM AUDAZ during its participation in the DYNAMIC MESSENGER 22 exercise, organized by NATO.

In addition, in 2022, the M5D-Airfox participated in the Red Sea in the Cutlass Express 2022 international exercises at the invitation of the US Navy and successfully passed various tests during the Navy's Esp Minex-22 exercise. Most recently, the Mine Action Force has operated the aircraft aboard the ship Furor.