Drones
The State of Drones in Search and Rescue
AI-driven mission planning is moving drones from ad hoc tools toward repeatable SAR operations, but BVLOS rules, battery limits, and crew training still hold back scale
Ryan Erickson
Ryan is a PMI-ACP certified program manager and 20+ year Coast Guard veteran who served as a C-130 Navigator, SAR Planner, and Atlantic Area SAR Mission Coordinator and Area SME. He now serves as Chief Data Officer at IASARC.
Weekly Digest
SAR Times Weekly (18 June 2026)
When the Water Rises
Mediterranean
When governments take a step back in the Mediterranean
How state disengagement, NGO substitution, and migration politics turned a SAR system into a policy battlefield
SAR Times Weekly (11 Jun 2026)
The first drone rescue, a Pacific earthquake, and the future of distress beacons
EPIRB
When the Beacon Talks Back! IMO moves toward two-way distress communication for maritime EPIRBs
A work item at this June's NCSR 13 session signals the next fundamental shift in how SAR authorities and survivors in distress interact at sea
Weekly Digest
SAR Times Weekly (June 4, 2026)
A Sherpa disappeared on Everest for a week. He walked out.
Monthly Regulatory Meetings
Monthly Regulatory Meetings for June 2026
What RCC Staff and Maritime Administrators Need to Watch This Month
Policy Review
Vietnam's Decree 69/2026 ND-CP: Implications for Rescue Readiness
When the Environment Fails the Responder
Hurricane Season 2026
Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts Today. Don't Wait, Make Your Plan.
NOAA's below-normal outlook doesn't change the readiness math
Weekly Digest
SAR Times Weekly — May 28, 2026
From chemical releases to river and cave SAR, it was an interesting week... but don't forget about the AI-enhanced SAR Drones!
Policy Review
IMO MSC 111 closes with a full slate of SAR-relevant decisions
From VDES adoption to the non-mandatory MASS Code, last week's session sets the regulatory table through 2032
Weekly Digest
SAR Times Weekly — May 21, 2026
Coast Guard pulls sailor from burning island, plus Hunan floods, Lake Erie capsizing, UAE rescue truck, IMO policy updates, and 9 more stories.