France’s Elistair Debuts Dual-Payload Tethered Drone That Runs 24 Hours Without Battery Swaps

French tethered drone manufacturer Elistair has unveiled a new configuration of its Khronos system that combines persistent surveillance with tactical communications in a single platform, addressing one of modern warfare’s most persistent logistics headaches.

The Khronos Dual Payload debuted at Milipol 2025, the international homeland security trade show in Paris running November 18-21, integrating a Silvus StreamCaster 4200P tactical radio with a Nextvision DragonEye2 electro-optical camera on a single tethered lift point.

This isn’t bleeding-edge technology. It’s an elegant solution to a problem that’s been strangling tactical operations since drones entered modern warfare.

The Battery Logistics Problem Nobody Talks About

While defense contractors chase 80-hour endurance platforms and million-dollar interceptor systems, frontline units face a simpler reality: you can’t maintain persistent surveillance if you’re constantly landing to swap batteries.

The Khronos eliminates that constraint entirely. Powered through a micro-tether cable, the system operates continuously for 24 hours at altitudes up to 60 meters (197 feet), providing both aerial surveillance and extending tactical mesh networks without a single battery change.

“This dual payload setup transforms the Khronos into a multi-mission aerial mast, capable of providing both secure communication relay and persistent ISR,” Elistair stated in announcing the system.

The DragonEye2 camera weighs just 115 grams but delivers dual electro-optical and infrared imaging with 40x total zoom capability. Combined with the Silvus radio’s 10-watt output power and mobile mesh networking, a single Khronos unit creates what military operators call a Variable Height Antenna that extends tactical communications while simultaneously providing day/night surveillance.

Deployable In Under Two Minutes

The system launches from a transportable dronebox in under two minutes, operating from both fixed and mobile platforms with minimal training required.

That deployment speed matters when units are repositioning under fire or establishing forward observation posts. Traditional ISR platforms require setup time, calibration, and trained operators. The Khronos is designed for push-button operation.

“The Khronos ‘Dual Payload’ offers a reliable and instantly deployable solution for special forces and tactical units that require both communication and observation capabilities from a single system,” Elistair emphasized, noting the platform maintains continuous operation even in GPS-denied or RF-challenged environments.

The system’s dual-band antennas and mesh networking capability mean it can maintain communication links when traditional point-to-point radio systems fail in complex terrain or urban environments.

What Makes This Different From Ukraine’s Solutions

Ukraine has pioneered tethered drone applications on the battlefield, particularly fiber-optic systems that transmit data through physical cables to defeat electronic warfare. Those systems achieve ranges up to 12 miles (19 kilometers) but remain primarily strike platforms.

The Khronos takes a different approach: persistent aerial presence for surveillance and communications rather than long-range attack capability. It’s the difference between a watchtower and a sniper rifle.

French defense giant Thales has already integrated similar tethered systems into various platforms, and the U.S. Army formalized both FPV and tethered drones as programs of record by 2025. Hoverfly Technologies sold over 500 tethered systems to the U.S. Army specifically for communication range extension and ISR missions.

France’s Quiet Build-Out Of Persistent Surveillance

While Germany and France block EU coordination on the proposed “drone wall” anti-drone defense network, French companies like Elistair continue developing practical tools for persistent border and perimeter security.

The company’s products are deployed in over 70 countries by military forces, law enforcement, and civil security for event protection, perimeter surveillance, and border monitoring. The Khronos represents an evolution of systems first demonstrated with Atlas tethered drones at the 2023 Paris Air Show, where 50-hour continuous flights showcased the technology’s battlefield potential.

Elistair exhibited the Khronos Dual Payload at stand 5F147 during Milipol 2025, targeting defense and security units seeking integrated solutions that eliminate the logistics tail of battery-powered persistent surveillance.

DroneXL’s Take

The Khronos Dual Payload isn’t revolutionary technology. It’s pragmatic engineering applied to a logistics problem that Western militaries have largely ignored while chasing more exotic capabilities.

Consider the military math: The Air Force’s ULTRA drone achieves 80-hour endurance but represents years of development and millions in costs. Ukraine’s fiber-optic tethered drones defeat electronic warfare but serve primarily as strike platforms. Meanwhile, tactical units need something simpler: eyes in the sky that don’t require constant babysitting.

Elistair solved this by literally plugging in the drone. The tether provides unlimited power and secure data transmission, eliminating both battery logistics and radio frequency emissions that make traditional drones vulnerable to detection and jamming. Hoverfly’s 500+ systems sold to the U.S. Army prove the concept works at scale.

What makes the Khronos notable is the dual-payload integration. Previous tethered systems focused on either surveillance or communications. Combining both eliminates redundant lift points and reduces the logistics footprint. One system, one setup, 24-hour operation with both ISR and mesh networking.

This matters particularly for the European security context. While France and Germany block the EU’s drone wall coordination efforts, French companies are building the actual infrastructure that Europe’s border security requires. Tethered systems like the Khronos provide the persistent presence that drone wall proponents have been demanding without the astronomical costs of maintaining flying patrols.

The economics are compelling. A $10,000 drone shot down by a $1 million missile isn’t sustainable, as EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius noted. But a tethered platform that operates continuously from a protected position changes that calculus entirely. You’re not burning through consumable assets; you’re establishing persistent infrastructure.

France continues demonstrating a more practical approach to defense innovation than many of its neighbors. From Colibri suicide drones designed for sub-€20,000 costs to Renault’s pivot into drone manufacturing for Ukraine support, French defense strategy emphasizes deployable, cost-effective solutions over technological prestige projects.

The Khronos Dual Payload represents the same philosophy applied to persistent surveillance: solve the actual operational problem rather than pursuing the most advanced technology. Sometimes the best answer is just a very long extension cord.

What do you think about tethered drones as a solution for persistent surveillance? Share your thoughts in the comments below.