【Case Study】  Kitefly Tethered · Aerial Lighting Application

420,000 Lumens in the Sky: How Does Tethered UAV Lighting Transform Night Shoots?

Kitefly Tethered Aerial Lighting System Passes Full Acceptance at Hengdian Film & TV Base

Client: Hengdian Film & TV Production Team   |   Acceptance Location: Nanjing, China   |   System: M40 + NG3 + L800 ×6   |   Application: Night Shoot Aerial Lighting

How do film crews light up large outdoor night-shoot locations without cranes, scaffolding, or power cables running across the set? The answer arrived from the sky. The Hengdian Film & TV production team recently travelled from Hengdian to Nanjing to conduct a full on-site acceptance of the Kitefly Tethered Tethered UAV Aerial Lighting System — a ground-powered, continuous-flight solution delivering 420,000 lumens of stable aerial illumination for mission-critical night operations.

Kitefly Tethered M40 aerial lighting system — ready for night deployment

1. Acceptance Results: Every Parameter Passed

The Hengdian team conducted a rigorous cross-city acceptance covering four core test categories: night flight stability, continuous power delivery, luminance coverage, and sustained hover performance. The M40 UAV lifted off smoothly at dusk, the NG3 Tethered Power Box delivered stable output throughout, and all six L800 lighting units activated simultaneously — uniform coverage, zero flicker, zero dark zones. Every parameter met specification. The client team recorded all key data on-site and confirmed full acceptance.

On-site acceptance test — night flight, sustained hover, full luminance coverage verified

2. Core Equipment: Three-Component System

The M40 aerial lighting system integrates three purpose-matched components. Each is independently optimised and field-validated as a combined Tethered Lighting Drone solution.

① Flight Platform: M40 Industrial UAV

· Airframe: Carbon fiber + aerospace-grade aluminum alloy; empty weight ≤ 3 kg; max payload ≤ 5 kg; MTOW ≤ 11 kg.

· Positioning: Four-rotor design for precision hover; stable platform for multi-light array mounting.

· Environmental Resilience: IP54 protection; wind resistance Level 6; operating range -20 °C to +50 °C.

· Compact Transport: Folded dimensions 440 × 350 × 470 mm; wheelbase 900 mm — fast deployment on any location.

M40 Industrial UAV — IP54, Level 6 wind resistance, ≤ 3 kg empty weight

② Ground Power: NG3 Tethered Power Box

· Power Output: AC 220 V input converted to DC 380–420 V output; maximum 3 kW continuous power — direct compatibility with L800 lighting array without additional converters.

· Tether Cable: 60 m single-cable length; automatic retraction ≥ 2 m/s; passive pay-out / active retraction dual mode.

· Unlimited Flight Time: Eliminates all battery constraints — the UAV stays airborne as long as the scene requires.

· Compact Unit: 380 × 270 × 180 mm body; 9.9 ± 0.1 kg — portable and field-deployable.

NG3 Tethered Power Box — AC 220 V input, DC 380–420 V / 3 kW output, 60 m tether

③ Lighting Array: L800 High-Lumen Units ×6

· Output: 150 W per unit; six units combined deliver 420,000 lumens of aerial illumination.

· Instant-On: Activates immediately at power-on — no warm-up delay for time-sensitive shoots.

· Light Quality: Wide, uniform spread with zero dark zones and zero flicker — critical for high-frame-rate cinematography (120fps / 240fps); broadcast-grade illumination.

· Weight: 200 g per unit; negligible payload impact; compatible with M40 multi-mount configuration.

· Specifications: Input DC 380–420 V; 150 W / 3–4 A; dimensions 190 × 44 × 22 mm.

L800 High-Lumen Lighting Unit — 150 W, 200 g, instant-on, zero flicker

3. Tethered Aerial Lighting vs. Traditional Methods

For outdoor night shoots and large-area emergency lighting, conventional approaches carry significant operational and safety constraints:

Acceptance completed — M40 aerial lighting system, Nanjing field test, night deployment

4. Application Scenarios

The M40 tethered aerial lighting system is designed for any operation where reliable, high-intensity overhead illumination is required without fixed infrastructure:

· Film & TV Production — night shoots, large exterior sets, dynamic camera angles requiring consistent overhead light

· Emergency Response — disaster zones, search and rescue, rapid-deployment illumination for incident command areas

· Construction & Engineering — overnight site operations, bridge inspections, tunnel approach lighting

· Security & Surveillance — perimeter lighting for temporary events, checkpoints, and mobile command posts

5. Conclusion

Since 2013, Kitefly Tethered has focused on source innovation in Industrial Tethered UAV Systems. The successful Hengdian acceptance validates the M40 system as a field-ready, broadcast-grade Tethered Lighting Drone solution — combining fast deployment, continuous aerial operation, and high-reliability illumination in a single integrated package.

For global partners seeking an Event Lighting Drone, Emergency Lighting UAV, or Night Operation UAV solution, Kitefly Tethered provides engineering expertise and proven field performance.

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