Chennai: Anna University’s new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ‘Tethercopter’ which can fly up to six to eight hours continuously at the height of 150 metres has got the attention of the Indian Air Force which is likely to place orders for protecting its key installations.
In the recently concluded Aero India 2017 show in Bengaluru, the UAVs developed by Centre of Aerospace Research in MIT campus of Anna University were displayed at the Tamil Nadu pavilion.
“The new Tethercopter has got tremendous response from many agencies. It has got the attention of IAF and paramilitary forces as it demonstrated its capability of performing long operations,” said K. Senthil Kumar, director, Centre for Aerospace Research. The centre has so far developed three types of UAVs- Quad rotor, fixed wing and tethered for various societal applications.
“Normally, the operation time of the UAVs is limited to their battery life. But the new ‘Tethercopter’ is being operated by power and it can be operated continuously for six to eight hours. The vehicle is connected via a cable from the ground to provide the required power for running electrical motors,” he explained.
It was deployed on a trial basis for the ‘Mahara Jyothi’ at Sabarimala in Kerala last month.
The vehicle can fly 150 metres high and it can transmit images to ground stations. It may require a cooling off period of 30 minutes afterevery six hours of operation.
The capability of the Tethered UAV was demonstrated to IAF authorities at Air Force Station, Yelahanka prior to the commencement of Air Show on February 13.
“This UAV can be deployed at the key installations to prevent the terrorist attacks like at Pathankot. It can detect the movements using sensors and powerful camera attached to it,” Mr.Senthil Kumar said.
The IAF may place orders for the drones. “IAF has sent us mail expressing interest to place orders for the UAV. VIP security agencies and eight other states also shown their interest on our UAV,” he added.
It can also be deployed at the difficult terrains including Jammu and Kashmir. The UAV applications range from mapping, survey, disaster management and agriculture.
The UAVs from the centre were helpful during the Chennai floods as they helped in rescuing hundreds of people. Recently, the UAV also surveyed the coastal area to get the details of the extent of oil spill off Chennai coast.
