A system and a method are provided for achieving long range, over the horizon (OTH), persistent surveillance, alerting, tracking and situational awareness against small, low radar cross section moving targets. The system and method use one or more tethered unmanned arial systems, or unmanned arial vehicles, to lift components including a radar antenna to a height above nearby obstacles or much higher. The system and method can also be used for subsurface radar detection and tracking applications, as well as communications with submarines.

A content-driven and content delivery UAV system. The UAV system includes a content source to provided pressurized content to the UAVs via a content transmission media. The pressurized content is utilized to drive a mechanical propulsion and steering system to keep the UAV aloft and direct it to a particular location. The pressurized content received by the UAVs can be directed back to the content source, to another UAV and or discharged from the UAV to a desired target. Thus, the UAVs may include a nozzle or valve for discharging the content and thus delivering the content to a desire location.

A system comprising: an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) carrier comprising a power supply, the UAV carrier connected, via respective wires, to one or more UVs, wherein: (a) each of the UVs is capable of performing maneuvers irrespective of maneuvers of the UAV carrier during performance of a mission; and (b) each of the UVs receives at least one of an electrical current from the power supply or digital data from the UAV carrier through the respective wires, during performance of the mission.

A method of handling a wind turbine component for assembly or maintenance, comprising moving one or more unmanned air vehicles to respective positions proximal to a wind turbine component so that the wind turbine component can be supported by the one or more unmanned air vehicles; and controlling the one or more unmanned air vehicles to lift the wind turbine component and manoeuvre said component with respect to a wind turbine. The invention extends to a system for handling a component of a wind turbine, comprising a plurality of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs); a UAV ground station computer system; and one or more lifting harnesses for carrying by the plurality of unmanned air vehicles.

Launch and land system for a tethered aircraft (in connection with FIG. 1) The invention provides for a launch and land system (1) for a tethered aircraft (90) comprising a runway (12) for the aircraft and a winch (62) for the tether (92), wherein the runway comprises a funnel-shaped target area (14) with a wide end oriented towards one end of the runway and a narrow end opposite of the wide end, wherein said target area is laterally bordered by restriction devices (80) extending from one end of the target area to the other for preventing the aircraft to roll out of the target area.

An automated drone-based surface treatment material delivery system includes a drone having a body, at least one propeller rotatably supported by the body, at least one propeller motor supported by the body and configured to selectively apply motive power to the at least one propeller, and a controller supported by the body and configured to control a flight path of the drone at least by manipulating a speed of the at least one propeller. The drone also has a rotary atomizer supported by the body for movement therewith. The rotary atomizer includes a rotating dispersion structure configured to disperse a surface treatment material from a material supply.

An aerial vehicle electrical power system for use with a tethered aerial vehicle, and related methods are provided. The aerial vehicle electric power system includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) carried by an aerial vehicle. At least one electrical circuit is carried by the aerial vehicle. The at least one electrical circuit has a DC buck converter electrically in series with at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs. A tether is connected between the aerial vehicle and a power source positioned remote from the aerial vehicle. Electrical power is transmitted to the aerial vehicle and at least a portion of the plurality of LEDs through the tether. The electrical circuit minimizes variances in power supplied to the aerial vehicle and the plurality of LEDs.

A flight vehicle capable of improving the accuracy of the arrival position of baggage. The flight vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a mounting unit that holds a mounted object, holds the mounting unit via a string member, and has a moving means including a rotor blade provided between the upper end and the lower end of the mounting unit, when the mounting unit is viewed from the side.

Systems and methods for determining a vehicle elevation height for launching an unmanned aerial vehicle may include performing a quantitative balancing analysis using baseline factors, establishing optimal values for operational goals of a vehicle based on the quantitative balancing analysis, determining a vehicle elevation height that achieves the established optimal values for the operational goals of the vehicle by evaluating vehicle delivery parameters using normalized values, and initiating on a winch system elevation of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the determined vehicle elevation height for launching.

A UAV tether management system comprising: a tether-wound spool rotatably mounted on a base station, a free-pivoting angle arm, and an angle arm encoder, wherein the tether is configured to transfer power from the base station to the UAV while the UAV is in flight, and the angle arm comprises a tether guide mounted to a proximal end of the angle arm such that the tether passes through the tether guide as the tether pays out of, or is taken up by, the spool, wherein the angle arm further comprises a counter weight mounted to a distal end of the angle arm such that a center of mass of the angle arm is aligned with the spool's axis of rotation, and wherein the angle arm encoder is configured to measure an offset angle of the angle arm.