Polish rescue team reaches Rysy summit by DJI drone in 6 minutes
After a six-month trial, the TOPR team uses DJI Dock stations in the Tatra Mountains to locate and check incidents from its base in Zakopane.
A rescue team in the Polish mountains sends a drone from a small station. In six minutes it sees the mountain top and spots danger before the rescuers arrive.
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Why it matters
Mountain rescue depends on time. A drone reaches the scene before rescuers and gives them a picture before they arrive.
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The details
- TOPR is the volunteer rescue service of Poland's Tatra Mountains.
- The trial used three DJI Dock 3 stations and one DJI Dock 4, flying Matrice 4TD and Matrice 5TD drones.
- The stations are at the Morskie Oko hut, the hut in the Valley of Five Polish Ponds and TOPR headquarters in Zakopane.
- A pilot at headquarters can launch from Morskie Oko and be viewing Rysy (2,499 m) six minutes later.
- The drones use thermal cameras and loudspeakers to talk to hikers, and can carry small items such as an AED.
- TOPR says the docks worked in rain and in gusts up to 45 mph. DJI Enterprise announced the program on November 3, 2026.
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