Drone Evolution has launched SENTINEL, its new, tethered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system at DSEI 2023.
Designed and built in the UK, SENTINEL has been teamed with Steatite’s MPU5 MESH radio, creating an airborne rebroadcasting node which provides a persistent surveillance capability for situational awareness.
The SENTINEL tether system is quicker to deploy and lighter to carry than a mast option. The combination of a tethered UAV system and radio/camera/thermal imaging system is ideal for applications such as:
- Intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance
- Force protection
- Event security
SENTINEL can be powered by Drone Evolution’s patented Freedom Power Supply Unit (PSU). This PSU can output 100V-500V from a 12V or 24V vehicle power supply, allowing SENTINEL to be mobilized and remain airborne for extended periods of time, reaching heights of 50m for 6 hours and potentially beyond.
SENTINEL is the only system capable of running directly from a 12v or 24v power supply such as a vehicle or batteries (with no inverter or generator required) as well as mains power. Additionally, SENTINEL’s weatherproofing and high wind resistance allows for long endurance in challenging environments.
With both SENTINEL and Dis1 radios operating at ground level, it is possible to establish a baseline range to determine the range and throughput of a Wave Relay point-to-point network in an urban environment.
Toby Townrow, Communications Director at Drone Evolution, said: “Tethering a drone to a ground power source allows the system to be in the air for periods far beyond conventional battery life. SENTINEL really is a game changer, it can be deployed without advanced pilot skills and has the potential for secure communications and overcoming blackspots. Additionally, SENTINEL can take your sensors to greater heights than a standard temporary mast system can ever achieve.”
Steatite’s Business Development Manager, Seb Leaver, added: “The combination of Drone Evolution’s SENTINEL system and the MPU5 Radio System provides a solution to a challenge that our clients have had for a long time – namely how to get a comms rebroadcast system to a height quickly and easily for a range of deployment types at a price that doesn’t make to prohibitive.”
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