The growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the battlefield is highly dependent upon reliable communications under hostile operation conditions, and mobile ad hoc network (MANET) radio technology is showing that it is a good fit for military UAV applications. As a form of vote of confidence, military UAV supplier Insitu is joining the Wave Relay Ecosystem of MANET radio users by entering into a five-year agreement with MANET radio supplier Persistent Systems, LLC. Insitu, a Boeing company, will incorporate Persistent Systems’ Wave Relay MANET technology into its line of UAVs, including the ScanEagle, ScanEagle2, ScanEagle3, Integrator, and RQ-21A Blackjack.
The Wave Relay Ecosystem is an alliance of leading companies that use the Wave Relay MANET radios in their designs. By becoming a member, Insitu ensures that its UAVs will communicate seamlessly with other systems employing the Wave Relay radios. “Insitu leads the small UAS business and has excelled in delivering accurate and timely information to enable our customers to make the best decisions possible,” said Matt Bartow, Insitu’s Chief Technology Officer. “Integrating the Wave Relay MANET into our products gives our systems a critical communication capability, enabling a wholly networked field solution.”
As an example of Persistent Systems’ Wave Relay MANET technology, its Wave Relay MPU5 “smart radio” operates at L-band frequencies from 1,350 to 1,390 MHz with 16 channels of push-to-talk voice communications. It includes an HD video encoder for video communications controlled by a powerful computer with 1-GHz microprocessor which is backed by 2 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash memory. Whether in the field with human or robotic users, the rugged radio provides reliable, high-speed communications under severe operating conditions.
