Drone Aviation has introduced a new tethered rotary-wing unmanned air vehicle, which can simultaneously receive power and transmit data back to the ground.
The quadrotor Watt UAV can be connected to a generator or vehicle to provide enough power to keep the aircraft airborne at 150ft for some 8h.
News broadcaster CNN announced on 6 May that it will purchase an undisclosed number of the systems as the launch customer for the new UAV, Mark Klefman, director of operations at Drone Aviation, says.
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The companies are currently working on being granted a section 333 exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration so that they can fly the Watt in national airspace.
Klefman says the system cannot be jammed because it is not a wireless connection, ensuring the security of both the public and the data. It also has a 90sec power allowance should the generator fail, which gives the Watt time to safely land.
Other potential applications include border control, first responder missions and wildlife management.
Source: Flight Daily News
