PHOENIX – The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with Draganfly Innovations Inc. to create a first-of-its-kind drone capable of longer flights and heavier payloads for border security operations.
Current drones used by the department can stay airborne for about 30 minutes, limiting how far they can patrol. Capt. Tim Williams said he approached Draganfly after seeing their work at a national sheriff’s conference, hoping for a model that could monitor areas “miles and miles away” without running out of power.
The Canada-based company, billed as the world’s oldest commercial drone maker, is designing a hybrid craft powered by two combustion engines and a battery system. The nine-foot-wide drone is expected to fly for up to seven hours and potentially carry more than 100 pounds — enough for supplies like water or medical gear during search-and-rescue missions.
Sheriff’s deputies will be able to operate the drones manually, remotely from headquarters, or in fully autonomous mode. Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell said the technology could also gather vital signs from a distance, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Field testing is set to begin in November, with Williams calling the project “something that doesn’t exist right now” and Chell describing Cochise County as “the nation’s leader” in border security innovation.
