# Tethered Military Drones This New Drone Uses a Communication Tether For Enhanced Utility By Rahul Kalvapalle | Published 2016-07-28 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tethered-military-drone References: [gizmag](http://www.gizmag.com/us-army-tethered-drones-cyphy/44577/) & [cyphyworks](http://cyphyworks.com/news/2016/7/18/cyphy-works-tethered-drone-ordered-by-the-army) The US military has gone ahead and taken the step of adding an untethered military drone to its growing fleet of [battle drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sonobuoy-dispensing-system). This particular system makes use of a special ground station that can be hooked up to any power source, whether it's a power generator or indeed a vehicle. It can connected to an [autonomous drone](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/microsmall-drone) by making use of a kevlar micro-filament which is more than capable of providing all the energy required for highly long-distance flights that can last for several days at a time. The tether system also acts as a communucations mechanism to allow high-definition video captured by the drone to be transmitted back to ground stations. This tethered military drone ultimately aims to expand and enhance the US military's communicative capacities. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.8/10 - Popularity: 28% | Activity: 18% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/robots) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Tethered Drones:** Using a communication tether for enhanced utility, tethered drones offer extended flight times and improved communications capabilities. - **Long-distance Flights:** With the use of a kevlar micro-filament, long-distance flights lasting several days can be achieved, opening up new possibilities for surveillance and data collection. - **HD Video Transmission:** The tether system enables high-definition video to be transmitted back to ground stations, providing real-time visual intelligence for military operations. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Defense:** The defense industry can explore the use of tethered drones to enhance surveillance, communication, and intelligence gathering capabilities. - **Aerospace:** The aerospace industry can incorporate tethered drone technology to extend flight durations and improve data transmission in various applications. - **Energy:** The energy industry can utilize tethered drones for monitoring and inspection of power infrastructure, leveraging their long flight times and communication capabilities. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Multi-Mission Military Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vtol-drones.md) - [Laser-Controlled Military Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lasercontrolled-military-drone.md) - [VTOL-Supporting Drone Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/drone-systems.md) - [Mesh Networking Support Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/evo-max-4t.md) - [Missile-Firing Unmanned Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/missilefiring-unmanned-drone.md) - [Endurant Combat Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/endurant-combat-drone.md) - [Flying Aquatic Maintenance Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seaair-integrated-drone.md) - [Ultrasonic Balloon-Borne Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blimp-drone.md) - [Hybrid-Powered Unmanned Helicopters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hybridpowered-unmanned-helicopter.md)