Tethered Drone : Procurement
The Indian Army recently signed contracts for the procurement of 130 tethered drones and 19 tank-driving simulators under Emergency Procurement (EP).
- Tethered Drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle tethered to the ground.
- It consists of a base station on the ground and the drone, which is connected to the station through the tether (cable).
- This tether provides power and data communication to the drone, allowing it to operate for extended periods without the limitations of a finite onboard battery.
- The drone can be operated remotely to perform specific tasks.
- Tethered UAVs are perfect for data capture and telemetry due to the reliability of tethered connections.
- They dramatically reduce technical and human error crashes in flight.
- They provide a secure line of communication between the ground station and the aircraft.
- The physical connection to the ground makes tethered drones less vulnerable to interference or hacking compared to wireless drones.
- It also does not require GPS navigation.
- Many tethered drones have longer flight times compared to free-flying, battery-operated drones.
- Due to the restricted movement of a tethered drone, the operator does not need piloting skills and can mainly focus on their tasks.
