New Drone May Help Protect Government Facilities

AeroVironment Inc.’s new unmanned aircraft will be evaluated by a Pentagon office for possible use at government facilities for surveillance and reconnaissance. The Combatting Terrorism Technical Support Office has funded development of the Tether Eye drone made by the Simi Valley company. Amanda Toman, Program Manager at the office, said “We look forward to continuing our evaluation of Tether Eye’s capabilities with AeroVironment as a possible deployable capability across government facilities.” Tether Eye can provide continuous surveillance at up to 150 feet from its launch point connected to its base station by a tether, or wire, that provides power. The aircraft uses electro-optical and infrared cameras providing both day and night imagery with full motion video transmitted directly to a ground control station. Kirk Flittie, vice president and general manager of the unmanned aircraft systems business segment, said AeroVironment would continue its development of Tether Eye. “Tether Eye effectively complements our family of small unmanned aircraft systems by providing a valuable new capability – continuous (surveillance and reconnaissance) and security for buildings or stationary vehicles in defense, security and commercial applications,” Flittie said in a prepared statement. Shares closed down 18 cents, or a fraction of a percent, to $27.82 on the Nasdaq.