A new drone will help save lives and reduce human risk in dangerous water rescues.
Designed and created by Brisbane aerospace company Aeromech, the “drone” – known as SARGO (Search and Rescue Go) – is an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) that is set to revolutionise the way search and rescue operations are performed in life-threatening conditions.
Aeromech Director and the Australian inventor of SARGO, Joe Bryant, says there’s nothing else like it on the world stage. “The difference with SARGO is that it is a USV designed specifically to be dropped from search and rescue fixed-wing aircraft to land safely on top of the ocean’s surface using a parachute. It can then be operated remotely to transport a payload of life-saving cargo to a stricken vessel or to people stranded in the water,” said Bryant, an aerospace engineer.
“The overall design and capabilities of SARGO are different to anything else on the market currently deployed by Marine SAR and Coast Guard aircraft,” said Bryant. Existing products delivered by a fixed-winged aircraft must be dropped directly to a target and cannot be navigated remotely, which makes their delivery method limited and inaccurate. “That’s why SARGO is a very exciting development for the rescue services.”
In 2021, Aeromech responded to an Expression of Interest from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) looking for a remotely operated vehicle that could be dropped from a fixed-wing aircraft and land on water – and so the idea for SARGO was born. Noakes Group CEO Sean Langman said the vessel maintenance company, located in Sydney, was impressed by SARGO, in particular its design, capability, and potential.
“We believe SARGO has the potential to change the way we address search and rescue operations, both domestically and internationally,” Langman said. “SARGO is a product that can fill the gap that currently exists within the search and rescue market.
We will continue to support Joe wherever possible, supporting young Australian companies that show initiative and innovation to ensure the lives of those at sea have access to technology such as SARGO,” Langman continued.
Aeromech was one of the successful recipients of the Queensland State Government Ignite 8 commercialisation fund announced in April 2022 to support the commercialisation and export of SARGO. Aeromech designs and builds SARGO in Brisbane, and is looking to continue to test and develop it further to market and export the product overseas in 2023.
“The beauty of SARGO is that it will not only save lives and keep rescuers safe but also puts Australian manufacturing on the world stage, while also creating new jobs,” said Bryant. “We want to be part of the revival of Australian manufacturing of high-quality products that are used all over the world to better it – and SARGO is our first step in doing that. The patented SARGO design makes way for Aeromech’s second Australian-manufactured product, SEEKER, a USV designed to provide above and underwater surveillance, which is due to be released in early 2023.
The SARGO system has been designed to provide real-time monitoring and control capability via a laptop, tablet, or phone that can be operated by trained personnel using a simple controller using the QGroundControl software. This provides control commands to SARGO via the radio module. Aeromech has utilised the control outputs provided by this controller in the monitoring and control software. A range of up to five kilometres can then be extended with upgrades.
“The SARGO uses two Electric Motors to power the unit. It uses these two motors to provide variable thrust to allow it to steer,” explains Bryant. “Our strategy was the fewer moving parts the better from a maintenance and reliability perspective.”
Bryant’s engineering background, including 13 years in the aerospace industry and a decade with French manufacturing giant Airbus, has allowed him specialise in advanced composites manufacturing.
It’s with this experience that Aeromech will set up an aerospace capability and manufacturing facility in southeast Queensland in 2023 to support the evolving aerospace and space sectors.
Aeromech’s mission is to be Australia’s undisputed leader in advanced composites manufacturing, providing an elite turnkey service for the marine, aerospace, space, and defence sectors.