STELCO gifts fire extinguisher drone to MNDF

The State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has gifted a fire-extinguisher drone and a deep tracker to the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) on Monday.

While the drone is capable of hosing water to elevated locations, such as buildings or high-rises, the deep tracker can be utilized for underwater tracking in search and rescue operations.

The equipment were gifted to MNDF at a special ceremony held for the occasion on Monday. STELCO's Managing Director Hussain Fahmy gifted the equipment, which was received by Chief of Defense Force, Major General Ibrahim Hilmy.

The drone is capable of hovering with a water hose up to 200 meters, while the deep tracker can go 200 meters below sea level and comes with a robotic arm to collect items from the seabed.

The Vice Chief of Defense Force, Brigadier General Ahmed Giyas along with the top brass of the MNDF and senior officials of STELCO attended the ceremony as well.

Earlier in March this year, Maldives government began utilizing drones to monitor the seas. The state-of-the-art drones used in these operations can travel between 70 to 120 knots for 27 hours and can reach an altitude of 25,000 feet above ground. These drones were purchased from Turkey for MVR 570 million.