Lucknow Police has deployed a multifunctional drone in flood-hit Faizullaganj to illuminate submerged streets, monitor evacuated homes, broadcast emergency messages and deliver relief supplies where conventional patrolling has become difficult. The deployment was reported by the Times of India on October 10, 2026.
The Modular Aerial Policing Drone, or MAPD, is being used in collaboration with Delhi-based robotics startup Aevon Dynamics. Police said the system is intended to maintain a visible presence in inundated neighbourhoods, particularly after dark when movement on the ground is restricted and residents may be stranded on upper floors or rooftops.
The drone carries a lighting system, a live surveillance camera and a public address system. As it flies over the affected locality, it broadcasts the message: “UP Police is here to help you. Dial 112 in case of any emergency.” DCP North Amit K Anand said the announcements were intended to provide emergency information and reassure residents who could otherwise feel isolated in the darkness.
The system’s concept note states that its lighting module can illuminate approximately 400 square metres at a time, while its speaker system can cover around 2,500 square metres. The onboard camera streams live footage to the police control room, allowing personnel to monitor rooftops, narrow lanes and waterlogged compounds that are difficult to reach from the ground.
The drone also has an advertised payload capacity of up to 10 kg. Police personnel can use it to transport relief supplies to residents cut off by floodwater before reaching stranded families by boat for assistance and rescue operations. The deployment is part of the police response in affected pockets where submerged lanes have made regular patrolling and access more difficult.
Yawar Sayeed, founder of Aevon Dynamics and an incubatee at Delhi Technological University, said the system combined lighting, surveillance and communication in one aircraft. He said the company had been working with Uttar Pradesh Police on drone technology for about a year.
The reported deployment comes as a local flood-response operation rather than a replacement for boats or ground teams. The police are continuing to use boats to reach affected residents, while the drone extends visibility, communication and limited supply access over areas that remain difficult to enter. Aevon Dynamics is also developing a separate drone designed to lift a person weighing up to 100 kg, although that project remains in the pipeline with the police.
