Land Rover Discovery joins Red Cross emergency fleet
Unique off-roader will help save lives in its role as a mobile command centre
A go-anywhere Land Rover Discovery has been added to the Red Cross’s emergency fleet.
The specially designed SUV has been fitted with a range of communications equipment and will be used as the humanitarian organisation’s new emergency mobile command centre.
As well as the communications technology, the Discovery also features an eight-rotor drone with thermal imaging. The drone’s long-range camera can spot a person from 440 metres away or a vehicle from 1,000 metres.
The drone operator can even track certain objects and provide precise co-ordinates – all by using the vehicle’s slide-out computer touchscreens.
The Discovery, which also has four radio antennae and 360-degree lighting, is part of a collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations and the Austrian Red Cross, and will be making an appearance at this week’s Paris Motor Show.
Michael van der Sande, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “Our partnership with the Red Cross isn’t just about our vehicles. Since we started collaborating in 1954, our aim has been to help the Red Cross improve its disaster response and ultimately to help save lives.
“Over the past 18 months, our engineers have worked closely with the emergency response team at the Austrian Red Cross, deploying Land Rover’s technology and talent to create a unique solution to the requirements of the Red Cross in the region.”
The vehicle’s 3.0-litre diesel engine and sophisticated off-road system mean crews will be able to reach those in need in even the most rugged and treacherous of terrains.
Dr Jemilah Mahmood, under-secretary general for partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: “We are grateful for Land Rover’s generous support over the past six decades. The Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle is yet another result of our strong global partnership that brings together the best expertise of the Red Cross and Land Rover in one unique vehicle, which will make a difference in rescue operations in the harshest conditions.”
