Eye in the Sky

By Slaton L. White

Drones have very quickly evolved from toys built to amuse children to incredibly sophisticated devices employed for national defense. One of the leaders in this field is Teal Drones. The company’s mission is to enable unmanned systems to be more than just flying cameras. With a strong team and a backbone of venture support, Teal is helping to rebuild America’s sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system) industrial base to compete on a global scale.

The new Teal 2 drone, for example, has been developed under strict design guidelines that has earned it a Blue UAS Certification by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Blue UAS effort is a comprehensive and ongoing method for the Department of Defense to quickly evaluate and scale commercial unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology.

The Teal 2’s primary application is short-range reconnaissance missions. Combat soldiers, police officers, firefighters, wildlife managers, and industrial inspectors rely on the Teal 2 to achieve mission success. The Teal 2 provides end users with the highest resolution thermal imaging in a small (Group 1) form factor. Its compact size and rugged design enable the system to be rucksack portable and deployed in the most challenging environments.

Teal 2’s technology is designed to provide real-time intelligence-gathering capabilities through the use of advanced payload technology, including high-resolution cameras and sensors. The secure unit includes AES-256 encrypted video transmission and command and control for highly secure operations. A Teledyne Flir Hadron 640R EO/IR sensor, optimized for nighttime operations, provides his-res imagery.

Brimming with cutting-edge technology, the Teal 2 is also surprisingly easy to fly, as it uses the Tomahawk Robotics Kinesis command-and-control user interface that enables an intuitive operational experience from launch to landing. In addition, multi-vehicle command and control provides a 360-degree view of a single target or ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) on multiple targets.

The Teal 2’s tactical ecosystem includes integration with third-party artificial intelligence and computer vision applications that enable 3D mapping, target acquisition, and other decision support features. With its high-resolution screen and durable, weatherproof design, Teal Air Control (TAC) provides military personnel with a reliable and easy-to-use platform for controlling their aircraft in a variety of environments. The controller is made in the USA, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of quality and performance.

The drone’s flight time is 30-plus minutes, and it can fly at speeds of up to 23 mph. Maximum flight ceiling is 10,000 feet, and it has a range from the controller of 3.1 miles.

“One of the best features of Teal drones is that they are modular,” says CEO George Matus. “This modularity delivers two really big benefits. First, if you buy a field drone and it breaks, you can fix it yourself. Second, our drones can be upgraded over time. Here, I’m not talking just about new software and new apps, but hardware, such as new sensors, new high-resolution payloads, and new gimbals, as well. All this can be swapped out very easily.”

The U.S. Department of Defense recently unveiled an ambitious initiative—Replicator—which aims to integrate emerging technologies, especially those originating in the private sector, into the military’s operational framework. These emerging technologies include AI, robotics, and commercial technology.

“This is a huge opportunity for established drone makers, like Teal, who have the manufacturing capacity to produce thousands of drones in response to the U.S. Government’s desire to invest in the U.S. industrial base. It will accelerate drone technology in a short amount of time,” says Stan Nowak, vice president of marketing at Red Cat (Teal’s corporate parent). “Teal is well positioned for this opportunity due to our 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, our uninhibited supply chain, and current and future capabilities of the Teal 2.”  (tealdrones.com)