AeroVironment Introduces Extended Range Antenna, Expanding UAS Command and Control up to 40 Kilometers in a Lightweight, Portable Form Factor
December 10, 2020 at 09:10 am EST
Share
AeroVironment, Inc. announced the introduction of its Extended Range Antenna (ERA), the latest addition to AeroVironment’s growing line of network connectivity solutions. The ERA is a lightweight, portable antenna array kit designed to integrate seamlessly with AeroVironment’s standard RF head antenna to support a diverse range of missions. The ERA add-on kit narrows the antenna beam width, extending the command and control range up to 40 kilometers (24.9 miles) with minimal impact to its size, weight and power (SWAP) footprint. Similar to the standard RF head antenna, the ERA is manually positioned. The included RF Unit switch allows users to toggle between omnidirectional mode, for short-range operations, and extended range mode, for longer-range operations. The ERA supports both M1/2/5 and M3/4/6 Digital Data Link (DDL) operating bands. By adding the ERA kit to their existing AeroVironment RF antenna, UAS flight operators can immediately expand their operational capabilities, gaining actionable battlefield intelligence at greater stand-off range to maximize their stealth and safety. When used in combination with other AeroVironment network connectivity options, the ERA provides an enhanced level of operational flexibility. This enables teams to coordinate command and control transfer of UAS, such as Puma LE, easily over greater distances, maximizing the aircraft’s multi-mission capabilities, in day or night operations, across dynamically changing environments. Further expanding its connectivity solutions, AeroVironment recently announced updates to its Long Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA), which it now offers in two versions to support M1/2/5 and M3/4/6 DDL frequency bands. AeroVironment’s network connectivity product line includes the pocketable, short-range pDDL (5 km), standard RF antenna (20 km), ERA (40 km) and LRTA (60 km) capabilities in both M1/2/5 and M3/4/6 bands.
AeroVironment, Inc. designs, develops, produces, delivers and supports a portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses. It supplies unmanned systems (UMS), loitering munitions systems (LMS) and related services primarily to organizations within the United States Government and to international allied governments. Its segments include Unmanned Systems (UMS), Loitering Munition Systems (LMS) and MacCready Works (MW). The UMS segment focuses primarily on small, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) products, medium UAS products, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) products. The LMS segment focuses primarily on tube-launched aircraft that deploy with the push of a button and fly at higher speeds than small UAS products. It also includes customer-funded research and development programs. The MW segment focuses on research and development in the areas of robotics, sensors, software analytics, data intelligence and connectivity.
AEROVIRONMENT, INC. 
