Land Rover SVO Builds A One-Off Discovery Emergency Vehicle Complete With A Drone

Land Rover is using the Paris Motor Show to introduce a one-off Discovery which has been created for the Red Cross.

Inspired by the Project Hero concept, the Red Cross Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle was developed as part of an 18-month collaboration between the Austrian Red Cross and Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations.

Designed to save lives in a disaster situation, the Discovery has been transformed into a mobile command center which can travel to remote locations. Since lives are on the line, the model has been outfitted with a state-of-the-art communications technology and four radio antennas.

The coup de grace is an eight-rotor drone which has been equipped with a long-range thermal imaging camera. Land Rover says the camera can spot people from 1443 feet (440 meters) away and vehicles from nearly 3280 feet (1,000 meters).

The footage can be monitored from touchscreens and the drone can track objects and pin-point their precise location with a few simple taps. This information could potentially mean the difference between life and death.

Besides the drone and the pull-out command center, the Discovery has emergency lights, a roof rack and black wheels with meaty tires. The model also comes equipped with an assortment of radios and a 3.0-liter diesel engine that develops 254 hp (189 kW / 258 PS).

According to Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations managing director, Michael van der Sande, “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.” He went on to say “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.”