Drone Aviation Holding Corp., a manufacturer of tethered drones and lighter-than-air aerostats, has unveiled the company’s new WATT 300 heavy-lift tethered multirotor drone, as well as an upgraded military WASP aerostat platform, at the 2017 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida.
The WATT Electric Tethered Aerial Platform is an electric tethered drone designed to provide secure and reliable aerial communications and monitoring for extended durations. WATT utilizes a high strength, Kevlar-armored tether connected to the ground providing uninterruptible power, unjammable command and control, and secure collection and distribution of sensor data, to deliver highly effective coverage from altitudes up to 400 feet for up to 8 hours or more. Supporting advanced mil-spec communications packages and sensors, including highly stabilized zoom EO/IR systems, WATT provides persistent ISR and aerial monitoring capabilities over a wide area. The new WATT 300 heavy-lift multirotor drone delivers enhanced multi-mission capabilities, supporting the same advanced Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor payloads utilized by the WASP aerostat platform.
The WASP (Winch Aerostat Small Platform) is a highly tactical and mobile aerostat system which can be operated by as few as two soldiers and can provide day/night video and wireless communication range extension from either a fixed, stationary position or while being towed. Over the past four years, U.S. Army-owned WASP systems have successfully completed thousands of hours of soldier training operations, various DoD exercises, and customer operations. WASP is currently being utilized by the DoD as a mobile, tactical aerial solution that can support various ISR mission profiles involving ground-based assets as well as aerial assets through communication retransmission.
Drone Aviation’s WASP and WATT are intended to provide semi-persistent, mobile intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (“ISR”) for various military, law enforcement and commercial security applications.
“This year marks our third anniversary at SOFIC, the premier annual gathering of the SOF community. Building upon our recent military contract awards and the growing interest in tethered solutions, we are presenting this year’s attendees with a full range of products highlighted by our new WATT 300 heavy-lift drone,” said Bruce Hardy, Vice President of Sales of Drone Aviation.
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