News In the Field Security
Axon, Fotokite partner on law-enforcement drone program

Axon, which develops connected public safety technologies, formed a partnership with Fotokite, a service provider of actively tethered Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) solutions, to provide their products and services as part of the Axon Air program. The Fotokite system will be available to law enforcement customers in the U.S. and Canada exclusively through the Axon Air program beginning in 2021.

This exclusive partnership will enable Axon’s law enforcement customers to view live-streamed footage within Axon’s digital evidence management solution, Axon Evidence. The Axon Air program includes the Fotokite Sigma UAS, Fotokite’s situational awareness software tools, and the tools needed to view, manage and share video evidence.

“This partnership with Fotokite is a game-changer for how our law enforcement customers view, assess and respond to crisis situations in real-time,” said Jeff Kunins, CPO and EVP software, Axon. “This program will be a great addition for agencies with already existing drone programs as it allows for a greater breadth of incident coverage. For agencies that have not yet deployed a drone program, this a great and simple way to get started.”

The benefits of an actively tethered Fotokite drone versus standard drones, include increased safety and team resource savings with autonomous flight. No piloting is needed throughout an operation up to 150 feet above ground level.

With a full weather-proof rating and power and data delivery over the tether, Fotokite Sigma can fly in harsh weather conditions and stay airborne beyond 24 hours of continuous flight.

Planned benefits and features of the Axon Air and Fotokite partnership include, as described in part by Axon include:

• Evidence Management – Fotokite video footage is integrated directly into Axon Evidence providing agencies a holistic view of what is happening in a given incident/investigation without needing to use an alternate application or tool to view the aerial footage;

• Live-streaming – Staff back at the agency’s command centre can see what is happening in the field in real-time through Axon Aware situational awareness software, enabling them to deploy resources more quickly and efficiently;

• Program Management – Agencies will save time and money in the operation of this system with simplified program management; and

• Scalable Aerial Situational Awareness – Fotokite technology enables scalable aerial scene awareness without the need for pilots on-scene, providing law enforcement the ability to gain instant situational awareness and incident records early in a response, when it matters most.