Zenith Aerotech, an American leader in tethered aerial models, has integrated an advanced flight radar, gimbaled EO/IR camera, and mobile ad hoc networking radio on the company’s U.S. made tethered drone, the Quad 8.
“The engineering work, which was done at the behest of an unnamed Federal customer, demonstrates how the long-endurance, tethered sUAS can support force protection and early warning missions,” states a press release from the company.
Kutlay Kaya, CEO of Zenith AeroTech says, “We are very excited to have worked with so many cutting-edge industry partners on this effort. With their collaboration, we were able to have our Quad 8 carry Echodyne’s Advanced EchoFlight radar, Trillium Engineering’s HD45 gimbaled EO/IR camera, and the Persistent Systems MPU5 mobile ad hoc networking radio.”
Kaya adds, “We plan to show how we can simultaneously collect high-resolution imagery, both electro-optical and thermal, as well as air- and ground-based radar anomalies and then securely deliver these collections through the MPU5, providing a robust overwatch capability. The MPU5 also acts as a radio/data relay to support disaster recovery operations and provide secure communications.”
