Land Rover Discovery Joins Red Cross Emergency Fleet

A unique Land Rover Discovery has entered active service with the Austrian Red Cross disaster response team.

The custom Land Rover Discovery is developed from the original Project Hero concept car and serves as a new emergency mobile command center, helping disaster response teams to save lives. It also provides eyes in the sky with a special drone, while go-anywhere wheels gives it versatility on the ground. The project was the result of an 18-month collaboration between Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations and the Austrian Red Cross and it will operate as a mobile nerve center for disaster emergencies.

On board the vehicle is an advanced eight-rotor drone, featuring a long-range thermal imaging camera that is capable of spotting a person from over 1,440 feet (440 meters) and can identify a vehicle at almost 3,280 feet (1,000 meters).

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Other bespoke features on the Discovery include four radio antennas, 360-degree lighting, and a unique integrated carbon fiber loadspace Command Center so that Red Cross personnel can coordinate emergency responses.

“Our partnership with the Red Cross isn’t just about our vehicles,” said Michael Van Der Sande, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations. “Since we started collaborating in 1954, our aim has been to help the Red Cross improve its disaster response and ultimately to help save lives. Over the past 18 months our engineers have worked closely with the emergency response team at the Austrian Red Cross, deploying Land Rover’s technology and talent to create a unique solution to the requirements of the Red Cross in the region.”