Tethered UAVs Gain Added Value

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A recent collaboration enhances counter-drone capabilities on tethered aerial vehicles (TAVs). Zenith AeroTech, a developer of heavy-lift tethered aerial vehicles, has partnered with DroneShield to provide enhanced drone detection capabilities, along with a range of countermeasures.

Zenith AeroTech will incorporate DroneShield’s DroneSentry-C2TM command-and-control ecosystem into its own family of tethered UAVs, along with an Echodyne EchoFlight radar, to counter drone or drone swarm attacks. The integration also enables simplified mission planning.

In contrast to standard drones, Zenith’s three TAVs can stay aloft for hours — and even days — at a stretch thanks to their Ground Power-Tether Management System.

The platforms themselves can carry 10-30 pounds of payload, and Zenith AeroTech is always experimenting with different mixes of sensors, communications and other equipment to proactively address emerging threats.

In addition to a capable drone-detection solution, the company will be offering DroneShield’s and soft kill measures, to be used by personnel on the ground, offering the teams  more time to jam them.

There are many potential markets for TAVs with counter-drone capabilities. The military could use them to protect forward operating bases; civilian security managers might have them fly over sensitive facilities; and law enforcement could use them to safeguard well-attended public events, according to uasweekly.com..