It's a bird... no it's a plane... actually, it's an unmanned aircraft system that could change the way first responders do their jobs.

Gainesville based robotics company Prioria showed what the "Maveric" UAS could do Monday morning.  Officers from the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriffs Office watched the small aircraft take off and maneuver as it would for search and rescue missions and surveillance. 

The portable, remote controlled system was introduced in 2008 and has been used by the military in Afghanistan.  Now Prioria is working to integrate the technology here in the US for use by first responders.
 

Prioria Robotics Vice President of Sales and Marketing Derek Lyons said, "They're out looking right now to find out what is the best solution for missions they have today and hopefully in the future.  And the second best news about that is the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA and some of the other agencies out there are actually helping to augment their pocketbooks to buy this stuff."

The plane, which is designed to look like a bird, costs between $50 and 70 thousand dollars.  It has bendable wings, mounted cameras, a quiet motor and can be launched by hand or by tube.  Experts say while it won't completely replace the helicopter, this type of plane is the way of the future.