The U.S. Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) is evaluating AeroVironment ‘s [AVAV] new tethered unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and security applications.
Called the Tether Eye, the small quad-rotor UAS is designed to provide continuous, 24-hour surveillance at up to 150 feet above its launch point. AeroVironment made the announcement to coincide with the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference this week in Tampa, Fla., where the Tether Eye will be on display.
The aircraft deploys automatically from a small, weather-sealed, self-contained base station and ascends to a pre-determined hover altitude where it provides a 360-degree field of view.
“Having the ability to deploy a ‘virtual observation tower’ at a moment’s notice above buildings and vehicles represents a game-changing capability for ISR and security operations that has the potential to save lives,” Amanda Toman, program manager at the CTTSO, said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to continuing our evaluation of Tether Eye’s capabilities with AeroVironment as a possible deployable capability across government facilities.”
The specially designed and ruggedized tether connecting Tether Eye to its base station provides continuous power, which enables uninterrupted long-term operation.
Current Tether Eye payloads include electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) cameras and AeroVironment’s encrypted Digital Data Link (DDL). The EO/IR camera provides both day and night imagery with full motion video transmitted directly to a Ground Control Station (GCS).
The announcement adds another AeroVironment UAS to the military’s growing portfolio of unmanned systems. Other services have several AeroVironment UAS in their inventories, including the RQ-11 Raven, RQ-12 Wasp and RQ-20A Puma small unmanned aircraft used by the Army and Marine Corps. All the systems operate on a common ground control station.
The Navy last week announced it would deploy the company’s new Blackwing–an offshoot of the Switchblade kamikaze drone–aboard submarines (Defense Daily, May 17).
The Digital Data Link, integrated into each of AeroVironment’s platforms, provides secure communication with the unmanned aircraft system and communications relay with other platforms.
“Tether Eye effectively complements our family of small unmanned aircraft systems by providing a valuable new capability–continuous ISR and security for buildings or stationary vehicles in defense, security and commercial applications,” Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of Unmanned aircraft systems said in a statement. “We intend to continue developing Tether Eye through to production and include it as a standard component of our product portfolio. Close communication with our initial customers will guide and inform future enhancements and production releases, resulting in another effective AeroVironment solution that helps our customers succeed.”