DRAGONFLY PICTURES, INC. SBIR Phase II Award, January 2022

The Unmanned Multirotor Aerial Relay (UMAR) is a tethered multirotor that lifts maritime communication radios to 500 feet in altitude.  UMAR has proved range extension to 3X+ the traditional means. The tether acts as an extension cord to the ship to provide continuous power, communication, command, and control to the Unmanned Aerial System. UMAR has a basic feature set to fly completely autonomously and does not need continuous operator input. The focus of this research effort is to increase autonomy, functionality, and reliability through testing.  Finally, the system may be tested on a US Navy ship, such as the Littoral Combat Ship. This work effort will increase the technical readiness level of the system.