Long Range UAS Communications

Year: 2021.

Project type: Public project.

Participants: 1 Enterprise, 1 Government, 1 Tech Center.

This project is aimed to test the real time surveillance and communications relay capabilities of the new Oryx platform. The project was promoted by the Catalan Government Digital Policies Ministry, with the collaboration of Catalan Government Home Affairs Ministry and the I2CAT tech center.
During the project the following technologies are being tested:
• 4G/5G Communications for real time video and telemetry link.
• IP Mesh (Wireless Ethernet Radio Network) Communications for real time video and telemetry link, in which the drone is used as another node in the network, being able to behave as a communication relay between deployed ground units.
• TETRA Communications in Rescat Network, being the drone a communications relay between deployed ground units.
• Artificial Intelligence technologies to be able to automatically detect targets in the real time video, such as vehicles or persons.
During the experimental open demonstration to law enforcers and first responders, the system proved its capability to perform BVLOS operation while sending real time high definition video and providing a reliable telemetry communication for the UAS control. Furthermore, an advanced emergency management post was deployed, and the drone demonstrated its relay capabilities transmitting real time video of a ground deployed unit that was out of range of the management post, because of being in a low communications cover area (no radio line of sight with other ground units and no 4G/5G communications available).