{"id":5328,"date":"2026-09-05T00:10:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T00:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=5328"},"modified":"2026-09-05T00:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T00:10:01","slug":"soldiers-developers-assess-tethered-drones-to-extend-maneuver-unit-vision-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=5328","title":{"rendered":"Soldiers, Developers Assess Tethered Drones to Extend Maneuver Unit Vision, Range"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FORT BENNING, Ga. \u2014 Maneuver Battle Lab Soldiers and capability developers gathered at McKenna Field Landing Site July 27 to Aug. 7 to assess modern tethered unmanned aircraft systems \u2014 known as Te-UAS \u2014 designed to give maneuver units the ability to overcome terrain limitations and conduct persistent reconnaissance, surveillance and extended communications.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Designed and executed by the MBL in collaboration with the Air Robotics, Dismounted Requirements Branch, Requirements Division, Maneuver Future Capability Directorate and Product Lead Strategic Spectrum Warfare, the assessment put two commercial Te-UAS capability surrogates through static, on-the-move and emergency scenarios.<\/p>\n

During the trial, the tethered drones climbed to operationally relevant altitudes. The MBL timed ascent and retraction speeds and assessed the system\u2019s \u201cfollow-mode\u201d as the Te-UAS tracked above an Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility maneuvering through the training area. Moving between designated target reference points, operators bounced communications over terrain obstacles, bypassed signal jamming and spotted targets from safe distances.<\/p>\n

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A tethered unmanned aerial system (Te-UAS) soars above the tree line while moving above an Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U) during a Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) assessment at Fort Benning, Ga., Aug. 6, 2026. MBL Soldiers maneuvered the drones at various altitudes to measure the technology against the Army\u2019s performance standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Maneuver Battle Lab\u2019s mission is experimentation,\u201d said Tollie Strode Jr., government oversight lead for the assessment and unmanned systems team chief at the MBL. \u201cWe take technology to the field, employ it in an operational context, look under the hood, kick the tires and report what we find to inform programmatic decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional free-flying drones that are limited by internal power supplies and require battery swaps, the Te-UAS receives continuous power and exchanges data through its physical tether, allowing it to remain airborne and provide capability to the force indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great opportunity for long-endurance mission sets,\u201d said Capt. Sarah Runion, MBL Live Experimentation Branch executive officer and assessment participant. \u201cTethered UAS bring a lot of pros to the force: we don\u2019t have to worry about battery life or anything like that, which you see on other drones. It can go through different levels of height, and it can follow you along on whatever platform you deem it on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another feature under evaluation was the system\u2019s simple operational design, which allows users to deploy the Te-UAS rapidly without extensive specialized training.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a matter of minutes, I was able to get [the drone] launched up in the air \u2026 and then it\u2019s a quick, easy one-step button to bring it back down,\u201d said Runion. \u201cThis has been a user-friendly experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Pagliaro, a Product Lead Strategic Spectrum Warfare contractor, compared the setup to a portable, elevated sensor suite for a maneuver unit.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s similar to a very high tower,\u201d Pagliaro said. \u201cHaving a sensor up that high in their [area of operations] is going to influence [the maneuver unit] and allow them to extend ranges and see targets farther.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pagliaro added that the simple deployment is \u201cpretty much hands-off,\u201d freeing the user to focus on incoming camera feeds and data rather than piloting the aircraft.<\/p>\n

Following the field iterations, the MBL compiles Soldier feedback, technical performance data and operational footprint details into a comprehensive final report. This package provides vital data for leaders to determine whether the Army should purchase the technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we develop a clear concept of operation and employment, it gives us credibility behind the numbers and information we provide to decision-makers,\u201d Strode said. \u201cIt answers the \u2018so what?\u2019 and provides the essential analytical underpinning to determine if this technology should transition into a permanent Army program of record.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Maddy Gonzalez<\/em><\/p>\n

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FORT BENNING, Ga. \u2014 Maneuver Battle Lab Soldiers and capability developers gathered at McKenna Field Landing Site July 27 to Aug. 7 to assess modern tethered unmanned aircraft systems \u2014 known as Te-UAS \u2014 designed to give maneuver units the ability to overcome terrain limitations and conduct persistent reconnaissance, surveillance and extended communications. Designed and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-army"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5328"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5330,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5328\/revisions\/5330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}