DSEI 2025: Teledyne takes wraps off autonomous launch recovery box for drones

Teledyne FLIR Defense has completed development and trials of the SkyCarrier fully autonomous quadcopter UAV launch and recovery box which allows for the operation of UAVs to and from on-the-move vehicles and vessels.

SkyCarrier uncrewed aerial system (UAS) is being shown for the first time at DSEI in London but is a further development of the SkyPad UAS. The system operates with the company’s SkyRaider and SkyRanger UAVs and can provide deployment from land vehicles, maritime vessels or fixed sites.

The system is contained within a ruggedised box to protect the drone when closed and opens to unfold an articulating launch and landing pad, allowing drones to autonomously take off and return. The pad maximises the UAV landing area, centres aircraft and reduces storage space.

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Using visual markers such as near infrared (NIR) landing beacons and QR codes or AprilTags, which are similar to QR codes, the drone can precisely navigate back to the platform without operator input.

The system provides extended endurance with larger batteries allowing for 45 minutes of flight time with a 2.2kg payload. The platform within SkyCarrier actively compensates for 20° of movement allowing the UAS to land on moving or stationary platforms without manual control.

An important feature of the system is allowing SkyRaider and SkyRanger to operate in either free-flight or tethered operation over a variety of radio and network configurations.

Extensive trials have taken place from mobile platforms

Rich Cunha, product director at Teledyne FLIR UAS, outlined to Shephard the extensive work the company has done in trials with different countries on a range of platforms.

Cunha said: “We’ve participated in several test events with various ministries of defence and coastguards including the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD), both maritime and land [exercises], as well as the US Department of Defence (DoD), specifically the US Air Force (USAF). We’ve also performed internal trials and testing on both moving ground vehicles and small vessels.

“[We’ve carried out] integration onto various [commercial trucks] such as Ford F150 and F250, GMC Sierra and Toyota Hilux and several maritime vessels such as Zodiak 7m/23ft and 9m/30ft and CB90 fast attack boats.”

The tethering capability is regarded by the company as a key aspect, whether from a moving platform or as a static system mounted on infrastructure, with power supplied through the tether.

The longest the company has operated using the tether is 96 hours at a tether length of about 100m. The tethered deployment is supported by algorithms and software onboard the UAV which allow it to automatically adjust the height that it’s operating at depending on air speed conditions.

If the ground vehicle is moving at a higher rate of speed, or if winds aloft increase to the point where they’re at dangerous levels, the aircraft will automatically descend. When it gets to a safe air speed to continue to operate in that environment, and as conditions improve, it will go back up.

The case comes in two sizes: the smaller FreeFlight at about 1.9m long, 75cm high and 80cm wide with a weight of 120kg; and a larger tethered version with a width of about 1.2m and a weight of 170kg. The system has an operational temperature range of -20°C to +50°C

Static deployment to protect sites tested

Cunha said that static or deployed use of the system allowed for automated response to generic sensors detecting activity.

“To date we’ve tested the system for fixed emplacement security [such as] long-term monitoring via a tethered UAS, or remote, rapid response with [automated] systems,” Cunha said.

“I call it fixed or semi-fixed in placement scenarios, be it border security or critical infrastructure protection such as military bases, natural gas and oil plants, and data centres.

“We just did a demonstration [in August] for a commercial customer that [needs] a security capability for a critical data centre and we demonstrated exactly that capability.

“You can actually take that scenario one step further, because in [our] current software a single operator or single application can control up to 16 of these units simultaneously, and that’s a sort of artificial limit that’s there for legacy reasons.”

Shephard’s DSEI 2025 coverage is sponsored by:

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