Referred to as the “Drone-in-the-box” Teledyne FLIR debuted their new SkyCarrier Autonomous UAS Launch and Recovery Platform at last week’s DSEI in London.
The system enables fully autonomous quadcopter launch and recovery from fixed sites as well as vehicles or ships while on-the-move.
SkyCarrier’s ruggedized container fully protects the drone when closed and opens to unfold an articulating launch and landing pad, allowing drones to autonomously take off and return, even while in motion or on uneven terrain. The pad maximizes the UAV landing area, centers aircraft, and reduces storage space. Using visual markers such as NIR landing beacons and QR codes or AprilTags, the drone can precisely navigate back to the platform without operator input.
SkyCarrier has been successfully trialed on multiple maritime vessels, including fast attack boats and rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), and from ground vehicles traveling over rugged terrain at speeds up to 50km/h (30mph), demonstrating its reliability in real-world conditions.
Features:
Autonomous Launch & Recovery – Actively compensates up to 20°, enabling UAS to land on moving or stationary platforms without manual control
Environmental Protection – Protects the drone from brush, debris, and other environmental factors when not operating
Optionally Tethered – Supports either free-flight or tethered operation over a variety of radio and network configurations, even while the unit is fully closed
Autonomous Management – Supports rapid charging and active thermal management, enabling fully remote operations in extreme environments
‘Follow Me’ Mode – Drones can track and return to designated vehicles, personnel, or locations
Autonomous In-air Replacement (AIR) – A single operator can manage up to 16 drones, maintaining persistent surveillance by autonomously swapping drones mid-mission
Dark Mode & GPS-Denied Navigation – Operates in RF-silent and GPS-degraded environments using computer vision and dead reckoning; also features NIR beacons for low-visibility environments, obstacle avoidance, and jam-resistant RTK GPS
Extended Endurance with XL Batteries – Enables up to 45 minutes of flight time with a 2kg (4.4lb) payload.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Read the full article here