Elistair has announced that French police forces have used the company’s tethered drone system to provide security at the Bordeaux Arena during a high-profile music event.
A DJI Matrix 200 UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) connected to Elistair’s Ligh-T v3 tethering station was specially deployed to assist the police in the vicinity of the concert hall. Powered from the ground, the drone flight lasted several hours, compared to 25 minutes for many conventional drones, and helped secure the perimeter of the arena. The Matrix UAV was equipped with a Zenmuse Z30 full HD camera.
Connected to the ground by a micro-tether, the UAV flew over the zone before, during, and after the concert without the interruption that comes with changing batteries. Access, entrances, exits, roads, flows of people and vehicles were able to be monitored safely and effectively. Thanks to the tethered drone, security teams were able to have constant situational awareness over an area with a radius of 1.5 km.
Alexandre Auger, CEO of UAV service company Adéole stated: “The objective of this mission was to monitor traffic conditions before and after Orelsan’s concert. We flew 2 hours 45 minutes before the concert and 1 hour after with Elistair’s system. This innovation allowed us to significantly increase our flight time! During our previous missions, we did not have this system and the pressure related to battery life was huge. We were positioned on a site between the concert hall and the car park. The flights were carried out at a maximum height of 50 m, allowing all the traffic routes near the site to be monitored.”
Directly displayed to the control room, the video surveillance images provided the police officers with a deep understanding of the situation and allowed them to take the quickest and most appropriate measures.
“Our objective was to assist the municipal police in relieving traffic congestion. The use of this tethered drone was a great asset for police officers and helped to reduce traffic congestion by 45 minutes. In addition, thanks to this system, we were able to trace a person wanted for public drunkenness,” added Auger.
Flexible, reliable and portable, Elistair’s Ligh-T station is designed to operate in challenging weather. Deployable in less than 5 minutes, it provides continuous power for an unlimited flight duration, and allows flight monitoring via the smart surveillance application T-monitor. In addition to providing power, data can also be transferred securely through the tether.
Designed to be used in highly challenging operational conditions, the Ligh-T station can be used day or night and provides safe and persistent flights. Among other applications, it is designed for deployments in urban areas close to infrastructure and the public.
Elistair tethering systems, including the autonomous Orion UAS, have already successfully provided surveillance for major international events in 2018. These include The Bol d’Or (24 hours International Motorcycle Championship – 70,000 spectators), the Ryder Cup (300,000 participants), and the Paris Peace Forum (70 heads of state).
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