Small UAVs: Overcoming SWaP Limitations with Smaller, Lighter, High-Throughput X-band SATCOM Terminals

Have you wondered what trends in business ultimately will be successful, and which are just flashes in the pan?  Look no further than everyday cell phones, the success of which is largely due to countless improvements overcoming Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) limitations of previous generations of cell phones and computing devices.  Not surprisingly, the UAV market faces the…

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Smaller, Lighter, Further: All-Weather, High Endurance Reconnaissance and the X-band UAV

Small UAV manufacturers, take note: your efforts to build smaller, lighter UAVs with longer range and higher endurance are not going unnoticed.  Time for a quick primer on what the established competition already knows: UAVs are Size, Weight and Power-limited (SWaP-limited) applications, and thus operate better in X-band – and the reason is simple physics involving (a) X-band’s…

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XTAR-LANT Enhances EMC Global X-band Coverage

EMC Using X-band for Airborne Terminal Application XTAR, LLC renewed a long-term contract to supply EMC with high-throughput X-band to disadvantaged airborne terminals. EMC is a leading provider of communications and content services for remote locations around the world. As part of the contract, XTAR will continue to provide space segment to Airborne intelligence, surveillance…

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Size Matters — New Satellite Terminals Make Way for System Flexibility

Satellite connectivity is the key to beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communications on UAVs. Traditionally, smaller UAVs (Class III with max weight of 1320 lbs and max speed 250 kts) have been limited to operating with line-of-site communications systems. Because they have not been able to accommodate large, power-hungry SATCOM terminals, which require substantial space on the aircraft,…

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