AirLink*
AirLink is an R&D programme that makes a tethered unmanned aerial system portable on foot. It is designed to fit 3 kW of power capacity into a system under 15 kg that one operator can carry. *
Uninterrupted power, in a backpack.
AirLink is designed to fit 3 kW of power capacity into a compact form under 15 kg that a single operator can carry. Persistent aerial observation can then reach sites vehicles cannot. *
An HVDC (High Voltage DC) architecture for efficient power transfer over an 80 m tether. The ideal power density is approximately 2.5 kW/dm³.
- POWER
- 3 kW *
- EFFICIENCY
- 94% *
- LINE VOLTAGE
- 400–800 V DC *
Data and power travel on the same conductor. Communication runs over the power line, with no separate RF link required.
- DATA RATE
- 50 Mbps *
- BASIS
- IEEE 1901 BASED
- TRANSMISSION
- OVER THE TETHER
Autonomous drum management and a servo-torque algorithm keep tether tension under control throughout the flight.
- TETHER LENGTH
- 80 m *
- CONTROL
- AUTONOMOUS
- PRECISION
- ms *
From backpack to airborne, in four steps.
Camouflage field version.
How a product reaches the site matters as much as what it does there.
The AirLink ground unit is a backpack. That is not a presentation choice but a design constraint that governs the whole system architecture: power electronics, tether drum, safety battery and thermal management all have to be solved inside one carryable volume.
The weight budget is therefore treated as the central engineering problem of the project. The system is not a case, a suitcase or a router; it is a ground station that can be moved on foot.
| PARAMETER | TECHNICAL DETAIL | CRITICAL THRESHOLD / STANDARD |
|---|---|---|
| Airborne power unit | 1.5 kW and 2.5 kW modular options | Lightweight aluminium body |
| Energy transmission | 400 V – 800 V DC HVDC line | Low-cross-section hybrid tether |
| Data transmission | IEEE 1901-based broadband PLC, 50 Mbps * | RF-independent link |
| Safety redundancy | Seamless switch-over | Integrated safety battery |
| Environmental range | −20 °C / +55 °C operating range * | Design criterion |
For a tethered system, the critical scenario is the tether being cut.
Fire monitoring, search and rescue, and an uninterrupted communications relay over disaster areas.
Border patrol, base protection and observation scenarios under RF interference.
Autonomous inspection of power transmission lines, dams and wind turbines.
Request a technical briefing on the AirLink programme.
Write to us about R&D partnership, pilot deployment and supply. Requests for detailed technical documentation are considered under a mutual non-disclosure agreement.