CyPhy Works has been selected to provide its persistent aerial reconnaissance and communications (PARC) tethered drone system to the US Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF).
The PARC provides continuous eye-in-the-sky reconnaisance for days at a time and can be used for force protection, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
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The system also allows communications and video to flow over its patented Kevlar-strengthened microfilament tether.
CyPhy Works government systems vice-president Matt England said: “We made a system that can live where the soldier lives; tough enough to match their environment; available where they need it, when they need it; and can fly for as long as they need it.”
The US Army's current small unmanned aerial systems fleet has a limited flight time, CyPhy said in a statement.
US Army Solutions Team 1 chief lieutenant colonel Scott Schumacher said: “The REF procured a system to help assess possible solutions to a validated requirement we received from a deployed unit.
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By GlobalData“The intent is to assess and understand new technology in the realm of persistent, elevated ISR.”
Created in 2002 to support soldiers in Afghanistan, the REF provides materiel solutions to meet the urgent requirements of US Army forces deployed worldwide, and improve future development.
The organisation has enhanced force protection, operational energy sources and communications, as well as provided ISR in austere locations.
The REF maintains a forward presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
