New to the army: Hovermast

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Hovermast is a new means for providing stabilized real-time aerial surveillance, to forces maneuvering along the battlefield. It is currently being tested and assessed by the IDF.

Made by an Israeli company, Sky Sapience, Hovermast operates high above the forces on the ground, secured by cable which serves as a power supplier and data link. Hovermast carries a camera and sensors which provide its operators a clear and stable image and alert of the surrounding threats. Hovermast can trace a tank from a distance of 3km and a person from a distance of 1km.

Lt. Colonel Amichai Magal, Head of the IDF Ground Corp UAV department under the Technologies Brigade, explains: Hovermast enables the forces to see the battle live. It is all done automatically. It comes out of its box, unfolds its propellers, activates its engines and flies within 15-20 seconds after the ignition button is pushed. Hovermast reaches an altitude of 50m, and its endurance lasts as long as the generator provides power, moving along with the force at its car proceeds. This tool is vital for providing ground forces with situational awareness right there in the middle of the battle field.

Unmanned systems conference 2014 – Israel

Sky Sapience, the developer, features Hovermast on its website, hailing it as tailored for numerous civil missions, such as port security and defending critical infrastructure, border security, assisting law enforcement agencies as well as, of course, urban warfare.

Hovermast is secured by cable, which serves as both power supply and data link. The image received from its payload is transmitted over this cable directly to its computer. The Technology Brigade says that Hovermast provides the advantage of having in-house real-time aerial surveillance – thereby solving ground forces’ dependence on tactical reconnaissance or UAVs. Hovermast delivers the data directly to the computer on the ground, complete with an attractive product in both operational and visual terms.