In 1929, he moved to London, where he was invited to work on television guidance for defense applications, building prototypes of a camera for remotely guided aircraft for the British Air Ministry, and later adapting it for the Italian Navy. The solutions of the technology what Tihanyi depicted in his 1929 patent were so influential, that American UAV producing companies still used many of its ideas even half century later, until the mid 1980s.
Tihanyi made the move to London in 1929, where he was approached to develop television guidance systems for military use. He created prototypes of a camera system for remotely controlled aircraft, which were later adapted for the Italian Navy. His patent from that year had a lasting influence on the field, with American UAV manufacturers continuing to build upon his ideas until the mid-1980s.