Cops Disguise Spy Drones As Eagle-Eyed Birds Of Prey In Bid To Fowl Up Organised Crime

The police in Spain have announced plans to disguise spy drones as eagle-eyed birds of prey in a bid to fowl up organised crime.

The Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) has reportedly ordered two drones, in the shape of raptors, to use in undercover operations in remote locations.

The police force spent EUR 108,000 (GBP 91,100) on two drones from the Galicia-based company Aeromedia UAV, which initially designed them to scare off birds at ports and airports, while some farm owners in Spain and Ecuador use them to monitor and ward off pests on their land.

Civil Guard is launching bird-like drones to monitor organized crime criminals without being detected. (Newsflash)

The drones boast two cameras that can read car licence plates from a distance of at least 180 metres (591 feet) and identify light vehicles up to 680 metres (2,231 feet) away.

The drones, which have a wingspan of two metres, also have thermal imaging and can recognise people from distances of around 280 metres (919 feet).

The bird-of-prey drones can fly for around one hour at a cruising speed of 90kph (56mph), and are made of highly-resistant lightweight materials that allow them to take off manually or automatically and land on the ground without any type of additional platform.

Civil Guard is launching bird-like drones to monitor organized crime criminals without being detected. (Newsflash)

Aeromedia UAV spokesperson Cesar Ortega said the company expects to deliver the two spy drones to the Civil Guard within six months.

He added that the “tender for this project included the training of agents from the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard, who will handle the spy birds”.