Use of Drones for Surveillance and Reconnaissance of Military Areas

This research is intended to contribute to the design of control algorithms for static cameras and drones. These were modelled on the quadcopter Parrot Bebop 2 by using the communication software Robot Operating System ROS to provide data and recognize different drone stages (landed, on flight, and its maneuvers: yaw, throttle, roll, pitch). The controller was developed after conducting several tests regarding the ideal distance for effective drone operations which include image processing for target detection or tracking in real time. This study also analyzes the benefits on the implementation of this technology in the Ecuadorian Armed Forces for surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the use of drones in aspects of national security would have a positive impact because it allows to reduce costs as well as to optimize human resources in military operations.