Satellites, planes, and helicopters: there are a number of Leonardo's security technologies used by job rescuers in the southern parts of the USA affected by Hurray Harvey's passage.
The images of the Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellites are used in Texas to monitor the consequences of the rains and in particular to control flooding along the coast. Leonardo is in fact providing images, maps and value-added services based on satellite data from the COSMO-SkyMed radar constellation, through e-GEOS (a joint venture between Telespazio and ASI). Radar satellites are particularly useful in these situations as they can also observe at night and through clouds, including those produced by the hurricane, unlike optical satellites. It is a further demonstration of the excellence of this all-Italian system, already in the past of fundamental importance in the management of similar emergencies. e-GEOS is also using the FLooD system, in combination with the analysis capabilities offered by US partners such as URSA and Orbital Insight, demonstrating the great versatility of use of the information obtained through COSMO-SkyMed. The program was born from the collaboration between ASI and the Ministry of Defense, was created by Leonardo with its joint ventures Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, and is operated and managed by the Fucino and Matera space centers through Telespazio and e-GEOS.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has announced, through its own website, that it has deployed the C-27J
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produced by Leonardo, in the field of operations in the disaster area, guaranteeing the transportation of medical crews, means and supplies. In addition to missions in the event of disasters, natural disasters and search and rescue, the USCG, which is integrating into its 14 C-27J fleet, employs aircraft also in the framework of patrols and controversies of illegal goods and people trafficking, of homeland security. Thanks to the excellent characteristics of the aircraft in terms of autonomy, stay in the area of operations, speeds and load capacities, it is not the first time that C-27J is used for such operations in the US, as is the case with Hurricane Sandy .
AW139 helicopter operators in the Gulf of Mexico are supporting rescue missions in Texas and Louisiana, destined to continue in the coming weeks. The wide and versatile W139 cabin can be configured for use with all necessary equipment, such as electrostatic sensors and electromedical systems, as well as transport and search and rescue equipment.
Thanks to its performance, AW139 stands out with respect to other helicopters for its ability to operate in particularly difficult weather conditions with great autonomy, safety and flexibility.