US companies team up to deliver secure comms for UAV operators
Viasat and AeroVironment are to jointly develop enhanced Type 1 encrypted communications capabilities for UAS operated by the US Army.
Work will be conducted under contract to the US Army in the Reconfigurable Communications for Small Unmanned Systems (RCSUS) initiative, with Viasat as prime contractor.
Viasat will work with AeroVironment to develop and demonstrate advanced, encrypted communications suitable for the Puma AE tactical UAS (designated RQ-20B by the US armed forces).
The two companies will seek to strengthen the communications and transmission security of AeroVironment Digital Data Link (DDL) radios, by converting them into a Type 1 crypto communication system for video and data transmission.
In addition, Viasat and AeroVironment will develop critical interoperability standards for enabling UAS to generate a secure, digitally encrypted communications network via the embedded DDL waveform.
RCSUS aims to provide US operators of small UAVs with ‘a robust, on-demand, highly-secure communications network’ that will address the growing EW capabilities of peer and near-peer adversaries, both companies noted in a 15 October statement.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Digital Battlespace
-
EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
-
Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
-
Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend
Persistent Systems has been cleared by National Security Agency (NSA) to transmit sensitive data on commercial networks. The devices are added to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) component list which also includes other companies’ products providing the same security.
-
UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release
The release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has been long promised as mid-year. It is possible it could be as early as 2 June although the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play its cards close to its chest.
-
Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)
Intelsat outlines how its multi-orbit SATCOM architecture is enhancing connectivity and resilience for special operations forces operating in degraded and contested environments.
-
US Space Force’s next-generation missile warning system moves forward with $500 million in new contracts
Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) satellites are intended to provide early warning of missile launches from any location worldwide and new ground stations will result in expanded coverage of critical missile warning.