Autonomous Drones Harness Wind for ISR and Counter UAS
Aerospace & Defense Technology31 Loka 2025

Autonomous Drones Harness Wind for ISR and Counter UAS

Windlift, a North Carolina-based startup, recentlyannounced successful results from initial testing of a new autonomous tethered drone system that leverages winds aloft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).

Windlift's new "GUARD" system is a mobile platform that includes a launcher and a tethered drone equipped with a navigation system that autonomously leverages wind to maintain altitude and stability.

"GUARD is set to deliver performance far beyond what's possible today. Where most tethered drones struggle or fail in high winds, GUARD excels. As the wind increases, the GUARD platform, originally designed to harness the wind through complex flight patterns for airborne power generation, thrives," said Rob Creighton, Windlift Founder & CEO. "This breakthrough has been in the making for years, with technical oversight from the Naval Research Laboratory every step of the way. Initial testing marks a pivotal moment."

Creighton is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace& Defense Technology podcast to explain how Windlift's autonomous tethered drone system leverages wind to power a wide variety of defense applications.


Jaksot(59)

The Hidden Heroes of Hydrogen Flight: Sealing and Materials

The Hidden Heroes of Hydrogen Flight: Sealing and Materials

While hydrogen-powered flight promises zero emissions and high efficiency, it also brings some of the toughest engineering challenges: cryogenic storage, high-pressure systems, and the constant risk o...

14 Marras 202510min

How Forterra is Enabling Modular Military Vehicle Autonomy

How Forterra is Enabling Modular Military Vehicle Autonomy

During the 2025 Association of the United States Army(AUSA) annual meeting and exhibition, Forterra announced several major defense industry vehicle partnerships and introduced four new integrated mod...

7 Marras 202517min

Autonomous Targeting Systems for a New Autonomous Ground Vehicle

Autonomous Targeting Systems for a New Autonomous Ground Vehicle

During the Association for the United States Army (AUSA)2025 annualmeeting and exhibition, AimLock announced a partnership with Overland AI that will integrate their autonomous targeting and engagemen...

24 Loka 202514min

The Army's New Approach to Buying AI, Drones and Robotics

The Army's New Approach to Buying AI, Drones and Robotics

During the Association for the United States Army (AUSA)2025 annual meeting and exhibition, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll's opening keynote presentation provided a reality check on the type of te...

17 Loka 202520min

Designing Low Cost Long-Range Autonomous Strike Drones

Designing Low Cost Long-Range Autonomous Strike Drones

MGI Engineering recently unveiled their new long-rangeautonomous precision strike drone, TigerShark, at the 2025 Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) event in London. MGI is a U.K.-base...

10 Loka 202518min

AI-Powered Military Communications at the Tactical Edge

AI-Powered Military Communications at the Tactical Edge

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Fuse Integration CEO Sumner Lee is the guest to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is re-defining how military communications and n...

3 Loka 202511min

Piasecki's KARGO UAV Program: Enabling Uncrewed Logistics

Piasecki's KARGO UAV Program: Enabling Uncrewed Logistics

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation acquired the KARGO UAV program from Kaman Air Vehicles in April, and recently launched a new upgraded variant of the medium-lift autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicle, the K...

22 Elo 202519min