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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XTAR Offering SATCOM Capacity for Nepal Earthquake Rescue Efforts

XTAR, LLC has offered to provide X-band satellite capacity to search and rescue efforts and organizations operating in the wake of Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal. The company, which has full satellite coverage over the region, will subsidize its capacity for relevant organizations including government agencies and affiliated NGOs.

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X-band Terminal Supply Meeting Mobility Demands

By Patti Aston Lately there has been an increase in Ka- and X-band terminal manufacturing and investment. A new focus on mobility — the application for which X- and Ka-band frequencies are particularly well suited – and on smaller antennas, are driving terminal manufacturers to innovate in ways not seen before. Simultaneously, manufacturers are bringing to market terminals…

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New Airborne SATCOM Terminals Are Game Changer

By Kelly Nicklin Satellites cover the majority of Earth. That could be good news for military and humanitarian airborne missions which, by their very nature, must adapt to frequently changing circumstances. Whether manned or unmanned, airborne communications are only as good as the satellite connection through which they transmit. Ku-band may be sufficient in certain…

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Solutions to Manage the Expanding Volume of ISR Data

I recently read that approximately ninety percent of the total data in the world was created in just the last two years alone.  The DoD itself has an inconceivable amount of data from streaming video. The intelligence community finds itself inundated as data collection far outpaces analysis. Our industry is seeking ways to support efficient…

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