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Jane's Defence Industry
Marc Selinger
04-Oct-2019
US-based FLIR Systems has developed a tether kit that can dramatically increase the endurance of its SkyRanger R70 and R80D
SkyRaider small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to company officials. The tether will provide continuous power to a
UAV, enabling the aircraft to stay airborne for 24 hours instead of less than an hour with battery-powered free flight. By anchoring a UAV to one ground location, the tether makes it easier for operators to monitor and control the aircraft. FLIR envisions the tether kit being used to perform a wide range of missions, including persistent surveillance. For communications relay, the company considers tethered small UAVs to be easier to field than large, sensor-equipped towers. The SkyRanger and SkyRaider are both backpackable quadcopters. Besides the tether, the kit includes a ground station that the tether attaches to and an adapter to connect the tether to a UAV, company officials said on 3 October. The ground station can be deployed as a stand-alone item or on a ground vehicle.
FLIR plans to unveil the kit at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in mid-October in Washington, DC. Roger Wells, vice-president and general manager of FLIR’s Unmanned Systems and Integrated Solutions division, said FLIR was already developing the kit before it recently announced its acquisition of tethered drone assets and related intellectual property (IP) from Aria Insights, a US firm that ceased operations earlier this year.
FLIR plans to integrate the new acquisition, especially the Aria tether, into its product line over the coming year. According to Aria, the patented tether is “a breakthrough in drone technology” that can keep a UAV flying “for days” by providing continuous power and secure communications. Aria described the tether as “extremely durable” despite being as thin as a headphone cord.
“The technology and the IP that we acquired from Aria adds additional sophistication, as well as accelerates our ability to generate and produce future versions that have advanced concepts and advanced capabilities,” Wells told Jane’s .
FLIR says its tether kit can be installed on or removed from a UAV within five minutes and that the tether can get its power from several sources. “If main power is available, it can obtain power from there,” FLIR said. “Typically, in a remote operation, the power source would be an external generator or a vehicle suitably modified to provide adequate power.”
Marc Selinger
04-Oct-2019
US-based FLIR Systems has developed a tether kit that can dramatically increase the endurance of its SkyRanger R70 and R80D
SkyRaider small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to company officials. The tether will provide continuous power to a
UAV, enabling the aircraft to stay airborne for 24 hours instead of less than an hour with battery-powered free flight. By anchoring a UAV to one ground location, the tether makes it easier for operators to monitor and control the aircraft. FLIR envisions the tether kit being used to perform a wide range of missions, including persistent surveillance. For communications relay, the company considers tethered small UAVs to be easier to field than large, sensor-equipped towers. The SkyRanger and SkyRaider are both backpackable quadcopters. Besides the tether, the kit includes a ground station that the tether attaches to and an adapter to connect the tether to a UAV, company officials said on 3 October. The ground station can be deployed as a stand-alone item or on a ground vehicle.
FLIR plans to unveil the kit at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in mid-October in Washington, DC. Roger Wells, vice-president and general manager of FLIR’s Unmanned Systems and Integrated Solutions division, said FLIR was already developing the kit before it recently announced its acquisition of tethered drone assets and related intellectual property (IP) from Aria Insights, a US firm that ceased operations earlier this year.
FLIR plans to integrate the new acquisition, especially the Aria tether, into its product line over the coming year. According to Aria, the patented tether is “a breakthrough in drone technology” that can keep a UAV flying “for days” by providing continuous power and secure communications. Aria described the tether as “extremely durable” despite being as thin as a headphone cord.
“The technology and the IP that we acquired from Aria adds additional sophistication, as well as accelerates our ability to generate and produce future versions that have advanced concepts and advanced capabilities,” Wells told Jane’s .
FLIR says its tether kit can be installed on or removed from a UAV within five minutes and that the tether can get its power from several sources. “If main power is available, it can obtain power from there,” FLIR said. “Typically, in a remote operation, the power source would be an external generator or a vehicle suitably modified to provide adequate power.”
