For more than half a century – since the 1960s – the Björn Steiger Foundation has been one of the leading players in emergency aid and the ambulance service in Germany. Emerging from a civil society initiative, the Foundation has played a lasting role in shaping Germany’s public safety and healthcare infrastructure through the introduction of the nationwide emergency numbers 110/112, the development of the 24-hour emergency doctor system, and the establishment of civilian air rescue (DRF). In addition to its operational and health policy work, the Foundation is increasingly active as an innovation-oriented think tank at the interface of digitalisation, resilience, aviation and hazard prevention.

In the field of aviation, the focus is on research and development projects for the integration of unmanned systems (UAS) into BOS, KRITIS and dual-use applications. These include AI-supported situational awareness, sensor fusion, control centre integration, resilient communication structures and data-driven decision support in the context of critical operational situations.

With the RescueBee Hive, the Foundation has developed a modular, scalable and manufacturer-independent drone hangar system for automated UAS operations. The system is particularly suited to applications in the fields of emergency services, disaster management, infrastructure monitoring and security architectures.

Key features of the RescueBee Hive include:

• Integration of different drone types
• Scalable multi-hangar architectures
• Preparation for integration into UTM and control centre systems
• Automated operation and persistent operational capability
• Integration of stationary and mobile sensor technology
• AI-supported data and situational awareness analysis
• Robust infrastructure for BOS and KRITIS applications

The RescueBee Hive is currently in the pre-production phase and is being further developed in collaboration with partners from research, industry and user organisations.

The Foundation is seeking collaboration with:

• European drone manufacturers and system integrators,
• implementation partners for pilot and demonstration projects,
• research partners in the fields of AI, sensor technology and data fusion,
• as well as stakeholders in UTM, control centre and platform integration.

A particular focus is on the development of resilient and interoperable solutions to strengthen European technology and data sovereignty, as well as on economically viable operating models for networked drone infrastructures with multiple hangar locations and heterogeneous fleets.