The Arctic Security and Emergency Preparedness Network (ARCSAR) will be testing Smith Myers ARTEMIS SAR fitted to a Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNorAF) AW101 during a live exercise in Norway’s arctic Svalbard archipelago this month. The exercise is intended to demonstrate a range of technologies and applications on both crewed and unmanned aircraft.
The exercise has been prompted by the growth in commercial traffic in the high arctic region and northern passages as result of growth in tourism as well as offshore oil and gas activity. Shipping traffic on transpolar routes is expected grow sharply in the near future as a result of changing sea ice conditions. Nevertheless, the challenges of SAR operations in the region; severe weather, poor communications and infrastructure and limited resources will need to be overcome as demand increases.
