Aero360 releases its tethered drones with enhanced endurance

Indian drone manufacturer Aero360 has released its latest products, a range of tethered drones with more than eight hours of flight time and improved surveillance abilities. It is the company’s second product release, with the first being a hybrid drone with a flight time of three hours.

The drone is created out of a carbon fiber frame, has folding arms and electric landing gear that folds away in flight. It is equipped with an advanced transmission system and can go up to 70 meters high with the tether.

The new tethered drone can hold up to 2 kg (4.14 pounds) and stay in the air for more than eight hours. This number can be made higher if a continuous power supply replaces the battery system currently used. Aero360 has previously adapted DJI Matrice drones to be used with a tether, making this the first time with its own technology.

While tethered drones cannot fly more than going up and down, they do have their benefits. The most obvious ones are power and data. Thanks to the tether, power, and data can be sent through it rather than recharging it and sending it through the air.

This allows the drone to stay in the air for longer and transmit the data over a secure wire that can’t be hacked from afar. Someone would have to hack into it physically. These characteristics make it perfect for surveillance operations, situational awareness, house fires, emergency communication, and aerial videography at sporting events, to name a few.

Aero360 was found in 2017 by Pragadish Santhosh, who is the CEO of the company. The company has worked with the massive Tata Group and the Indian government. The company’s free-flight drone is powered by a hybrid engine that allows it to fly for around three hours and carry payloads of up to 3 kg (6.6 pounds).

Thanks to the combination of fuel and batteries, the drone can fly up to 50 km ( 31 miles) away in a single flight. It can be equipped with sensors for surveying and mapping, used to deliver goods, or be used as a surveillance drone for security and search and rescue missions.

Photo: Aero360