Tethered drones have been used for security at concerts, golf tournaments and even at a motorcycle world championship event in France last fall. As the benefits provided by the technology become more apparent, the list of applications should only continue to grow.

Surveillance of major events by tethered drones is becoming a big subject for security actors and technology experts.

Elistair, whose tethered drones were used at the Paris Peace Forum and at a variety of entertainment events in 2018, said the same system that was used to secure a concert for 11,000 spectators will be used soon to monitor human flows after French Rugby matches.

TV coverage of concert surveillance can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokvACNSe0A

On November 30, fans of French singer Orelsan were able to enjoy the singer’s music with increased security provided by drone technology. To assist the police in the vicinity of the concert hall, a DJI M200 UAV connected to Elistair’s Ligh-T tethering station was specially deployed. Powered from the ground, the drone flight lasted several hours, compared to 25 minutes for a conventional drone, and helped secure the perimeter of the arena, according to Elistair.

Tethering Station Innovation
To ensure the safety of the organizing teams, fans and artists, the UAV service company Adéole and the city of Floirac decided to use a new form of video surveillance of the public areas: a DJI Matrix 200 UAV, with Zenmuse Z30 full HD camera, connected to Elistair’s Ligh-T v3 tethering station.

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. With the aid of the tethered drone, security teams were able to have constant situational awareness of an area with a radius of 1.5 kilometers.

“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,” stated Alexandre Auger, CEO of Adéole. “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 meters, allowing all the traffic routes near the site to be monitored,”

Enhanced Security for Public Events
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.

Elistair’s Ligh-T station is designed to operate in challenging weather. Deployable in less than 5 minutes, it is said to provide continuous power for an unlimited flight duration, and allow 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 by day or night and provides safe and persistent flights. Perfectly adapted, among other applications, to deployments in urban areas close to infrastructure and the public, according to the company.

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, the first run of the Endurance Motorcycle World Championship (70,000 spectators), the Ryder Cup (300,000 participants), and the Paris Peace Forum (70 heads of state).