Challenges faced by Drones in high altitudes

Drones are now being used extensively for various purposes. From individuals to commercial spaces and from large enterprises to national defence, the use of drones has increased by leaps and bounds. From a solo trekker wanting to capture beautiful landscape to a marriage function where precious moments are captured by drones, you name it and the use of drones is the in thing.

Drones are also helping large enterprises and even national defence in the surveillance of vast and treacherous landscapes. Drones are also being specially designed to tackle flight risks in high mountainous regions for monitoring purposes. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) offer several advantages with regards to cost and image clarity for such establishments.

However it is not all that easy for the drones as they face a variety of challenges when it comes to high altitude data capturing.? Even the best of drones are challenged by constant weather changes, uneven surfaces, decreased air pressure and low temperatures in such regions. The decrease in air pressure at very high altitudes makes it difficult for the propellers to generate enough power for a smooth take off. Temperature also tends to be lower in high altitudes thus largely contributing to decreased battery performance. Low power generation combined with decreased battery performance can drastically affect the flight time of the drones.

In addition mountains do not have a regular flat surface nor do they have stable weather conditions. The terrains are highly erratic and uneven causing unsteady and rocky wind currents. This can cause unstable conditions for the drones and thus capturing information can be very tricky. Even for a well-trained drone pilot, capturing data in such conditions can be a great challenge. If a drone is lost under such conditions it is almost impossible to retrieve it, causing establishments to lose all the data captured by the drone. Last, but not the least, one must ensure that the drones do not interfere with manned air traffic because it can prove fatal for commercial and cargo flights.

Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) has specifically designed and developed Drone TALV-TACT to mitigate these risks. The TALV-TACT is a military grade small sized drone with a weight of 4.5kgs. TALV-TACT designed by TAS has an amazing flying time of 55 minutes and can be steadily manoeuvred in wind conditions of up to 14m/s. It provides ease for operations in high altitude harsh environment for day and night surveillance, allowing military monitoring 24/7 and help manage border security. The TALV-TACT can fly comfortably up to an altitude of 120m AGL with a maximum flying speed of 24m/s. It is equipped with Li-ion batteries that can provide large amounts of current for high power operations. This is very advantageous for such harsh climatic conditions making it ideal for monitoring and surveillance purposes. ?

Delivery and distribution: TAS UAVs can transport and distribute necessities like medical supplies, blood, vaccines, organs, or equipment to the crisis area. The devastated population can also receive relief supplies using L & H series UAVs, including tents, blankets, and hygiene kits. They can also be used in ecommerce to deliver products to customers faster, cheaper, and more conveniently. Additionally, these UAVs can assist in providing military personnel with supplies like food, water, medications, or communication equipment.

Logistic series – With payload carrying capacities up to 40kgs, these UAVs are surely the best-in-class.

The common challenges faced by Drones flown in high altitudes are Endurance, Obstacle Detection, Navigation and speed. The Drones designed and developed by TAS are specifically designed to mitigate these risks and challenges.