autoevolution
 

The Quad 8 Tethered Drone Endures with 108 Hours of Proved Continuous Flight

Tethered drone manufacturer Zenith AeroTech tested its Quad 8 multi-rotor TAV (tethered aerial vehicle) and turns out it is a long-endurance vehicle able to fly continuously for 108 hours.
Quad 8 Quadcopter from Zenith AeroTech 1 photo
Photo: Zenith AeroTech
Tethered aerial vehicles have superior air endurance thanks to the fact that they draw power from a generator located on the ground. This allows them to stay in the air for considerably more hours than regular, small, multi-rotor drones. But even so, the Quad 8 TAV exceeded expectations, with a total of 161 hours and 49 hours of flight over a week. 108 hours of those were continuous, uninterrupted flight, according to Zenith AeroTech.

The tests were conducted at the Virginia-based company’s facility in Afton and were part of a government customer request, before product delivery.

The TAV carried an electro-optical infrared camera and an Echodyne EchoFlight radar. The Zenith AeroTech staff took 8-hour shifts observing the drone, which miraculously coped with almost all weather conditions, from 40mph winds to heavy rain. The only two times the Quad 8 came back to earth were during some lightning storms.

The Quad 8 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighs 24 pounds (10.8 kg) and has a payload capacity of 20 lbs. (9 kg). When deployed, measures 46 X 46 X 23 inches (116 X 116 X 58.4 cm). It is equipped with two motors and four 22 in (55 cm) propellers, one for each arm.

The quadcopter has various applications, from communications to media, defense, inspection/security, firefighting, public safety, and more.

The Quad 8 can fly to altitudes of up to 400 ft (121 meters) and comes with a fail-safe battery backup. The entire system consists of the TAV itself, its payload, the ground power unit, and a remote control. The payload can include electro-optical cameras (including thermal ones), laser pointers, scanning radars, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors, and more.

Zenith AeroTech doesn’t offer any information regarding pricing, availability, and other details for the Quad 8 TAV, so you have to contact them if you have such inquiries.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Cristina Mircea
Cristina Mircea profile photo

Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories