A fleet of drones, ­officially designated as ­Remotely Piloted Aircraft by NSW Police, have been ­unveiled after a successful 18-month trial and training program.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Cath Burn said the drones would become part of “business as usual” for major police operations, including a terror attack.

The drones are slightly different to typical consumer drones that can be found on websites like https://www.drdrone.ca/ but the underlying technology is relatively similar.

“If an active armed ­offender event was to occur, we would be able to put up the aircraft and get low down and get good imagery of what’s happening from above,” she said.

“In (the trial) scenario, we were able to see that it was clearly an active scene and were able to see the offenders and their movements, which helps our tactical operation decision-making.

Deputy Commissioner Burn said the machines would also be used to search for people missing in dense bushland, discover hidden drug crops and to survey crime scenes before forensic officers were able to enter.

“We’ve been able to get some fantastic footage which helps in our analysis of the crime scene and we have also trialled it with serious motor vehicle accidents where people have died and been able to take measurements and imagery from above,” she said.

“We have also used it to search for missing people in bushland. The beauty of these aircraft is they can fly lower on the terrain and can go into places the helicopter can’t.

“It might also be able to assist with maritime operations. Our Marine Area Command does search and rescue operations, we see that as something else we can use it for.

“If we had intelligence there was a cannabis crop, we would be able to put this up and search an area for it.”

Watch the drone demonstration video.

Read the full article in The Daily Telegraph.