Drone Aviation Holding Corp., manufacturer of tethered drones and lighter-than-air aerostats, has announced that it has collaborated with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech to research, test and advance the commercialization of company's tethered drones, according to a press release issued by Drone Aviation.

Both companies have already begun testing the drones for reliability and safety in commercial use cases.

Jay Nussbaum, chairman of Drone Aviation, said in the company's press release that they are "excited to demonstrate the advantages and many potential civil and commercial uses" of the company's tethered drones.

"This ongoing partnership will focus on evaluating the increased safety features and technical advantages of our tethered drones and sharing that data with the FAA for the potential commercial deployment of 'WATT' systems into the national airspace for first responders and commercial entities," he said.

Drone Aviation's WATT-200, a drone designed for secure and reliable aerial monitoring for extended durations, is capable of staying longer in the air, and providing real-time video monitoring whether it is day or night, according to the press release.

The WATT-200 provides the aerial monitor while being tethered to the ground via a high strength armored tether.

Virginia Tech News reported that the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation, Rose Mooney, is looking forward to the collaboration with Drone Aviation.

"We look forward to working with Drone Aviation Holding Corp., the FAA, and our consortium partners to explore the commercial application of this novel UAS technology," she said.

She added in the Virginia Tech News that they see a tremendous opportunity for the commercialization of the tethered-drone technology.

This is because of drone's unique capabilities and safety profile, which enables it to be useful in a number of applications like emergency response and facility security.

The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership was selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as one of the six national test sites where research to integrate unmanned aircraft into the nation's airspace can be conducted, according to the press release.

The results of Drone Aviation and Mid-Atlantic Aviation's collaboration will be reported to the FAA.