How is Dragonfly’s new hover-in-place tethered UAV defying maritime communication limits? Podcast host Robert Gendron, Corporate Vice President, Product Development Special Guest: Joe Pawelczyk, Vice President of Operations at DPI UAV Systems In this podcast episode, we interview Joe Pawelczyk, VP of operations at DPI UAV Systems (USA), a leading provider of small rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Joe explains how tethered drones that lift up heavy payloads, such as communication antennas, to 500+ ft. with 400+ hr. endurance, can be used as communication towers, especially for remote, highly isolated environments at sea. DPI can increase line of site communication at sea 3x using the unmanned multirotor aerial relay (UMAR), stretching from 8 miles to nearly 30 miles, even under the most rugged, turbulent conditions. The logistic and power challenges are formidable – especially on the high seas. Additionally, tethered drones are also being used more broadly in border surveillance and other military applications.