Best Drone Fiber Optic Data Transmission Setup for Tethered ISR UAVs?

We're evaluating communications hardware for a tethered UAV program and are currently comparing several approaches for drone fiber optic data transmission. Before we move forward, I'd really like to hear from anyone who has deployed fiber-based tethered drone systems in operational environments.

VERSITRON is one of the vendors we're reviewing alongside several others, but we're looking for practical deployment experience rather than product brochures.

One of our biggest requirements is a reliable fiber optic converter for tethered UAV applications that can carry high-resolution ISR video, telemetry, and command traffic over a single tether while maintaining low latency and stable throughput during long-duration flights.

Because several projects involve government procurement requirements, we're also evaluating an NDAA compliant tethered drone communication architecture that can be deployed across defense, border security, and critical infrastructure programs without creating compliance issues later in the procurement cycle.

Some of the planned deployments will support perimeter security and persistent surveillance missions, so we're particularly interested in military tethered drone networking solutions that can provide resilient communications between the UAV, ground station, and command center during extended operations.

Our ISR team is also focused on building a dependable drone ISR fiber optic link capable of transporting multiple video streams and sensor feeds back to analysts in real time without the interference concerns that can affect traditional RF-only architectures.

A few questions for the community:

Which platforms have worked best for drone fiber optic data transmission in real deployments?

Have you used a dedicated fiber optic converter for tethered UAV, and how has it performed under continuous operation?

What considerations have been most important when implementing NDAA compliant tethered drone communication systems?

Are you currently using military tethered drone networking for ISR, border surveillance, or critical infrastructure missions?

If you've built a drone ISR fiber optic link, what lessons or best practices would you recommend before we finalize our design?

I'd appreciate hearing real-world deployment experiences, integration challenges, and vendor recommendations before we move forward with the next phase of our tethered UAV communications program.