Mobility and agility in the field are as important for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) as for actual battle, and the latest addition to the Indago portfolio of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from Lockheed Martin provides speed where needed. The tethered Indago UAS can collect information from a distance, operating with or without the tether for power. With the tether, the distance is limited by the physical link, although the operating time is greatly extended for uninterruptible missions. Without the tether, the flying time is about 50 to 70 minutes on battery power.
The Indago UAS is now available in a tethered version for uninterruptible tactical missions. The UAS features a collapsible rotor that allows it to be folded for ease of transport. (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)
The Indago UAS drone (see figure) features folding rotors, enabling the UAS to be fit into a backpack for ease of transport. It weighs less than 5 lbs. and can be folded to a size with a longest dimension of 12 in. According to Michael Carlson, Business Development Manager for Indago, “When it comes to unmanned systems and capability, size does matter. We want to make something as important as force and facility protection as simple and effective as possible—the tethered Indago can do that.” The tethered Indago incorporates electro-optical imaging capable of reading a vehicle license plate from 1000 ft. It also includes thermal IR imaging for night-time operations.
