Honeywell SAR technology to improve emergency response in Greece

Honeywell has signed an agreement with the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy to upgrade Greece’s search-and-rescue operations using next-generation, satellite-based tracking technology.

Under the agreement, Honeywell will provide the Hellenic Center of Mission Control with eight satellite antennas, three rescue control systems and computer equipment, as well as installation, customization, training and technical support services for seven years.

Using satellite signals, Honeywell’s technology can precisely locate emergency distress beacons and coordinate the deployment of rapid response teams, the company said.

The technology incorporates the COSPAS-SARSAT system, an international satellite-based program for distress alert detection and information distribution.

“By leveraging a network of ground-based antennas and medium earth orbit satellites, we can more precisely locate distress signals from emergency beacons,” said Mehrez Hached, director of business development for Honeywell’s Global Tracking and Search and Rescue business. “This Honeywell solution will help the Greek National Search and Rescue Coordination Center and the Hellenic Coast Guard save lives by quickly identifying aircraft, ships and people in distress regardless of how remote their location.”

Honeywell will install the satellite antennas on sites operated by the Hellenic Air Force and deploy management and surveillance equipment to the Hellenic Coast Guard Headquarters in Piraeus, Greece.

Honeywell’s search and rescue solutions are part of the company’s Safety and Productivity Solutions business. Honeywell provides fixed antennas, terminals, consoles and software applications to quickly locate missing assets on land or at sea and minimize emergency response times.

The company’s software offerings include SARMaster Search, a full-featured incident management application used by frontline operators to coordinate rescue operations, which has helped save tens of thousands of lives.

Honeywell’s tracking technology was incorporated into the European Space Agency’s Galileo search-and-rescue program, a pan-European program designed to dramatically reduce emergency response times using geo-positioning satellites.