1  Mission Planning

Preparing for a Wide Area Search operation includes gathering information, defining the area to be covered and deciding on various settings to be used while conducting the search. The search area and the settings can easily be changed during the search, but it is a good idea to use the recommendations that follow as a starting point.

The steps included in this section are specific to this standard operating procedure and do not include other more general aspects of mission planning such as crew assignments and roles, logistics and supplies, transportation to and from the site, etc. See the Defender Operator's Manual for more information and recommendations.

The steps in the Mission Planning phase can be completed either on-site or in a more comfortable environment.