This solution allows the NX70 drone to benefit from a boundless endurance when tethered while keeping its response capability thanks to the droppable cable.

Nine years after the release of its first tethered solution for the NX110 drone, Novadem marks a major evolution with the new generation of its NXWIRE : this solution allows the NX70 drone to benefit from a boundless endurance when tethered while keeping its response capability thanks to the droppable cable. This unique solution on the market will be displayed on the Novadem booth during the Xponential exhibition taking place in Denver (Colorado) from April 30 to May 3.

Aix-en-Provence, March 29th, 2018. Novadem has been designing and manufacturing drones for defence, security and industry professionnals since 2006. Its aerial robotics solutions have been adopted by major players like the French Army and Navy, the National Gendarmerie or more recently NATO. « In 2009, during discussions with customers and special units, we noticed a need for persistent, improvised and immediately available aerial observation. We have therefore decided to design the very first tethered solution for drone as a plug-and-play equipment of our solutions. Over the years, this solution came to equip the French Army, the Police of Brussels or the French Railway company », outlines Pascal Zunino, CEO of Novadem.
Although this first solution brought a real added-value during several missions, customer feedback also allowed to identify limitations of such a configuration. The drone linked to a cable is naturally deprived of action capability while the situation would necessitate to get closer to the event. The cable constrains the drone to hover above its power unit which does not allow the drone to keep a visual contact on a target moving behind vegetation or a building. Eventually, the transition between the tethered and non-tethered configuration necessitates to land to unplug the cable and then plug a battery before taking-off again. This transition leads to an observation loss of several minutes during which the target can disappear.
To offset these constraints, Novadem has developed a second generation of tethered drone, the NXWIRE 2.0, allowing to unlock the drone from its cable while it is still airborne and at the same time, from all the constraints of a tethered configuration.
The NXWIRE 2.0 technology
Designed as an equipment of the NX70 drone, the NXWIRE 2.0 is composed of three main parts:
 A ground-based power supply, rugged and compact, that can be connected to a main supply or an auxiliary power unit,
 A 50-meters cable allowing the power to climb from the ground to the drone,
 An embedded module, taking the place of the battery, which integrates an electromechanical mechanism allowing to unlock the cable on demand of the pilot and a reserve of energy allowing the NX70 to fly around 20 minutes once liberated from the cable.
«With the NXWIRE 2.0, we have gathered the best of both worlds : the capability to ensure improvised and long-lasting observation missions thanks to the ground-power supply and the capability to get closer to the target without never losing sight on it to support response teams », comments Pascal Zunino.

A technology that will be presented at Xponential in Denver
Novadem will present the second generation of the NXWIRE during the Xponential exhibition that will take place in Denver from April 30 to May 3 (French pavilion, booth 3407). This first participation to an American exhibition marks a new step in the international development of Novadem.
« The American market of micro-drones for defense and security professionals has been experiencing an important growth for several years. Most entities are still experimenting to gain more insights into the operational added-value brought by this new tool. Although dominated by consumer drones and despite the presence of main American manufacturers, we are convinced that the versatility of our solutions as well as our capability to interface them in the environment of the client will be major assets to seduce American customers and commercial partners », concludes Johann Boucher, Business Development Manager of Novadem.
Come and visit Novadem during XPONENTIAL in Denver from April 30 to May 3
French pavilion - Booth 3407