SkySapience Enhances HoverMast Capabilities to Provide a Boundless Bird’s Eye View
Yokneam, Israel – Sky Sapience, the only provider of field proven tethered hovering solutions, has enhanced the HoverMast series capabilities, resulting in a more powerful platform with minimal noise levels, carrying heavier payloads up to 18 kg.
HoverMast is a unique surveillance and observation system providing intelligence and communication for both military and enterprise applications, supporting critical enterprise protection, special police units, border or perimeter control, surveillance and reconnaissance ISR missions in land and maritime environments.
The system entered operational use with the Israel Defense Forces soon after completing development in 2013. In 2015 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) joined Sky Sapience in order to integrate the system within the comprehensive ISR solutions IAI offers to its military and homeland security customers.
Designed as a hybrid system combining an unmanned aerial system (UAS) and tethered platform, HoverMast integrates the sophisticated autonomy and control of a UAS with the endurance, robustness and safety of tethered aerostat systems.
Secured to the ground (or a vehicle) by a tethered cable that uplinks power, command and control and downlinks the sensor video streams and metadata, HoverMast has infinite power to maintain unlimited mission endurance, hovering at heights up to 150m above ground. A naval spinoff has also been demonstrated, providing an elevated sensor capability to small boats.
The platform is designed to haul extensive payloads up to 18 kg. The primary sensor uses advanced, lightweight multi-sensor EO devices to detect a person from miles away even in the dark. Other sensors support different aspects of intelligence collection and support, including laser rangefinder, ground surveillance radar, communications relay, cellular base station, electronic or acoustic sensors and more.
HoverMast operates as a fully automatic system, using four rotors managing lift, attitude, height and orientation. The platform can rise within seconds to an altitude of 150 meters above ground, to provide 360⁰ over-the-hill, across-the-crowd vision. Operated by a single person, the system is self-contained in a compact container that can be installed on a pickup truck or tactical vehicle, armored vehicles, or an unmanned platform. Using a self-contained system and automatic operation means the logistical footprint is reduced dramatically compared to UAVs or aerostat based systems.
The system’s operation is simple and intuitive. Lifting and retracting is done by a flip of a switch. The vehicle constantly monitors its position, altitude and operating status and issues alerts to the operator upon excessive wind velocity, power loss, malfunction, or any issue requiring retraction; it will retract automatically if necessary. Unlike mast-mounted payloads that must be flushed to vertical position, the system can also deploy from a slope of up to 20 degrees.
A key advantage of HoverMast is its ability to operate in civilian airspace, such as in cities and sensitive areas where operations of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are restricted or forbidden. Since HoverMast is not classified as an aerial vehicle, its operation is not limited by airspace regulations.
About Sky Sapience
Sky Sapience is the only provider of tethered mobile hovering platforms which are field proven worldwide. The company was founded on vast military, business, and engineering experience. Its dedicated team members are experts in the fields of aeronautics, robotics, computer programming, electronics, and business management.
The company’s flagship product series, the HoverMast tethered hovering platform, offers an exceptional size-to-payload ratio, visibility, durability and stability in all weather and light conditions. The HoverMast serves leading organizations in military and HLS settings, as well as in enterprise and commercial environments worldwide.
For more information please contact:
Limor Barak
VP Marketing, Sky Sapience
Tel: +972-4-9591777
Limor.b@Sky Sapience.com
www.Sky Sapience.com