Mission Review of Aerial Robotic Assessment - Ammunition Explosion Cyprus 2011

Abstract

After a fatal explosion on a Cypriot naval base, aerial robots were requested and deployed to assist in the assessment of the situation. The explosion had caused fatalities and severely damaged a nearby power plant which had contributed nearly half of the electrical power of the island. Enduring danger of collapse and falling debris interdicted access by humans to most parts of this critical infrastructure. Hence, aerial robots were used to conduct low altitude aerial assessment of roofs, load-bearing primary structures and other inaccessible parts. Assessment flights were carried out in a series of rapid iterations with disaster experts, structural and electrical engineers who specified flight objectives. This paper gives an account of this aerial robotic assessment mission with a focus on operational aspects and lessons learned.