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AeroVironment Enhances Its Family of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems with M1/M2/M5 Compatible Digital Data Link (DDL) Products

Tuesday, September 19th, 2017

QUANTICO, VA at Modern Day Marine, Sept. 19, 2017 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced that it has delivered M1/M2/M5-compatible Raven® and Puma™ AE unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to two DoD customers, with more orders and deliveries scheduled. In addition, the company will begin taking orders in December 2017 for M1/M2/M5-configured Wasp® AE micro air vehicles (MAV) for delivery in spring 2018.

“Integrating the new M1/M2/M5 radio frequencies into our family of small UAS gives our customers the ability to seamlessly and securely conform to the Department of Defense‘s new frequency spectrum allocation and proceed with certainty,” said David Sharpin, vice president of AeroVironment’s Tactical UAS Business Unit. “By combining all three frequency bands in the same transceiver module, we’ve made it easy for users to select the frequency band associated with the part of the world in which they are operating without having to swap any hardware.”

AeroVironment today also unveiled its new Pocket DDL™ AE, a rugged, all- environment, next generation, secure digital video and data receiver that also integrates the new M1/M2/M5 radio frequency spectrum. The all-environment design of AeroVironment’s new Pocket DDL AE makes it significantly more rugged than its predecessor by offering a fully waterproof package (immersible to three feet) that supports tactical operations in a wide range of environmental conditions and difficult urban terrain.

Designed for simplicity and ease of use, the Pocket DDL AE facilitates rapid and secure access to a small UAS Digital Data Link (DDL) network. Each sleek unit has no exterior buttons or displays and is completely controlled through an App. Pocket DDL AE has a standard Glenair® Mighty-Mouse connector, making it compatible with the Army‘s Net Warrior system, so dedicated cables for Pocket DDL are not necessary. It can operate from any power supply, providing between 5 and 32 volts DC.

Pocket DDL AE implements an open-systems architecture, using a USB interface and XML messaging for control of the radio functions. This enables apps designed for special purposes, such as tactical operations, search and rescue, asset tracking, long- range communications, mission command, and targeting to use Pocket DDL AE to employ small UAS to help perform their tasks more effectively.

“Combined with the M1/M2/M5 upgrade to our Pocket DDL AE, this provides greatly enhanced capability across our entire family of small UAS product line for improved tactical operations,” Sharpin said. “This example demonstrates our ongoing commitment to upgrade our Family of Systems products and provide new capabilities to our existing and new customers around the world.”

AeroVironment will announce additional upgrades to its market-leading Family of Unmanned Aircraft Systems during the Association of the Army’s Annual Meeting next month.

www.avinc.com

Tags: AeroVironment
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Persistent Systems Awarded $8.9 million Radio Contract for US Army WMD Teams

Tuesday, September 19th, 2017

New York, N.Y. — Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”), a leader in Mobile Ad hoc Networking (MANET) Technology and developer of Wave Relay®, announced today that it was awarded an $8.9 million contract award to provide more than 950 MPU5 radios to the U.S. Army National Guard’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CSTs).

The contract is in support of the U.S. Army’s Unified Command Suite (UCS) Program of Record, which is managed by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD). The UCS program aims to provide communications interoperability between military emergency response elements and Federal, State, and Local authorities on the scene of an incident.

The Unified Command Suite is a self-contained communications vehicle that can either be driven to or be air-lifted via a C130 to an incident location. The MPU5 radios enable a high-speed communication network to be established on-the-fly, which empowers CST personnel to operate across the incident area while remaining connected both to the vehicle and to each other.

“Whether at a campaign rally or along a marathon route, National Guard Civil Support Teams run WMD detection operations to keep Americans safe,” said Louis Sutherland, VP of Business Development for Persistent. “That’s why it is so important that they have a robust wireless network.”

The MANET element of Persistent’s solution creates a vast, self-forming, self-healing radio network that does not require outside infrastructure to work. Should a node drop out of the network, sensor data collected by a Civil Support Team member will simply be routed another way. Using the MPU5 also means cutting down on the number of relay radios needed to push signals over and around obstacles.

The MPU5 provides push-to-talk audio, video encoding, and an integrated Android™ computing environment that allows the installation of 3rd party applications. It is a 6W 3×3 MIMO radio which provides extremely long range and throughput exceeding 100 Mbps. These capabilities enable National Guard Civil Support Teams to network their sensors and transmit data collected in the field to the UCS vehicle and then on to a national lab for analysis.

“MIMO radios thrive in urban environments, where standard radios have trouble,” Sutherland said. “This enables the CST personnel to extend their network further from the truck and operate effectively in urban, high-population-density environments that are the most likely targets of an attack.”

Persistent has customers in the Army, Air Force, and Department of Homeland Security.

“Some of our most passionate advocates come from the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives detection community,” Sutherland said. “In fact, our MPU5 radio is already embedded in QinetiQ’s Talon unmanned ground robot which is also used by Civil Support Teams.”

Persistent has already begun delivery of its radios and expects to make another delivery of 500 radios to the Unified Command Suite program this month. The radio integration is being performed by NAVAIR in Patuxent River, Maryland.

Tags: Persistent Systems
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Silynx Communications, Inc Announces CEO Matthew Hein is Stepping Down to Pursue Other Ventures and Names Matthew Hemenez as President

Thursday, September 14th, 2017

Silynx Communications, Inc. CEO Matthew Hein will depart his position in order to pursue other opportunities, effective September 15, 2017. “It has been a privilege to lead and work with the hardworking Silynx team that continues to develop industry-leading hearing protection systems. I look forward to hearing about the continued success of the company going forward,” stated Mr. Hein, who joined Silynx in 2013. He will remain in an advisory capacity to assist Matthew Hemenez as newly named President.

Mr. Hemenez is a longstanding industry veteran, with over 20 years of experience in telecommunications, most of which has focused on the tactical communications segment. He moves into this role after two years as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing with the company. Mr. Hemenez said, “The company is grateful for Matt’s years of service and his contributions. Personally, I am excited to begin serving as the Silynx President and driving profitable growth for the business.”

www.silynxcom.com

Tags: Silynx Communications
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Cobham Launches New Integrated Communications Products

Tuesday, September 12th, 2017

Launched at DSEI, Cobham’s new Integrated Communications Environment (ICE) products optimise the performance of multiple radios operating simultaneously on a single platform

DSEI, UK: Cobham today announced that they have launched a new Integrated Communications Environment (ICE) product range which provides major improvements to existing communications systems on platforms. The new ICE products include a multi-radio interference cancellation system and new high-performance multi-port V/UHF antenna.

The integration of multiple radios and other communications systems on a single platform or in a congested environment causes Radio Frequency (RF) interference which can dramatically reduce the effective radio range. This increasingly operational problem is being exacerbated by the increase of on-board communications systems which can mean they are competing for data and spectrum allocation.

David Bulley, VP and General Manager of Cobham Antenna Systems said “Cobham has been at the forefront of RF interference cancellation technologies for over 20 years with proven field performance. As communications systems on platforms have become increasingly complex our expectations of them has also heightened; Cobham’s new ICE products allow users to streamline their communications systems without affecting performance or range which makes a critical difference during operations.”

The ICE 7201 interference cancellation system not only restores radio performance and operational range, it also facilitates enhanced frequency planning for operations, enabling closer separation between channels resulting in a significantly greater number of useable radio channels for a given spectrum allocation. Simultaneously, the GD2049 high performance multi-port V/UHF antenna enables the overall antenna count on land platforms to be reduced through the introduction of two VHF ports with high port-to-port isolation.

The combination of Cobham’s two new market-leading technologies allows for optimised co-site integration of radios whilst also reducing the number of antennas required on a platform. The result is a significantly improved communication effectiveness and a reduction in the cost and ‘real estate’ of the antennas required.

The new ICE 7201 system and GD2049 antenna will be exhibited on the Cobham stand, S6-150, at DSEI London, 12-15 September 2017.

www.cobham.com

Cobham’s new GD2049 multi-port antenna installed on a Thales Hawkei vehicle at MSPO Poland. © Image supplied courtesy of Thales

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INVISIO Announces a New Product Category for Communication in Vehicles

Tuesday, September 12th, 2017

Stockholm, September 12, 2017

INVISIO today announces a new product category for communication in vehicles. The first product announced will be an intercom system that will be commercially available to customers in defense and security in the second half of 2018.

The development of this new innovative product category has been going on for some time and is based on needs and requirements from key customers. The first product within this category will be presented at the important defence and security event, DSEi in London, on September 12-15, 2017.

“This is a step to further strengthen INVISIO’s role as the leading supplier of communications and protection solutions to the world’s defense and security forces. We have close contact with our customers and our innovations are a direct result of interacting with them and understanding their needs. Their experiences and our know-how is the perfect combination for developing a unique solution that is new to the market. We are well positioned in the industry and believe that this new product category over time will provide significant business opportunities for INVISIO, contributing to our journey of continued growth and development,” said Lars Højgård Hansen, CEO, INVISIO.

INVISIO has previously developed a unique and innovative series of communication and hearing protection systems aimed at dismounted users. These different systems have generated great interest and are now sold to a wide range of customers within the global defense and public safety communities, where the need for reliable, safe and easy-to-use products is very high. INVISIO has in a short period of time become the market leader for this type of systems.

With the intercom system, INVISIO’s product offering is expanded to include a full range of products for communication and hearing protection in mounted and dismounted operations.

“With the intercom system, INVISIO is bridging the gap between the dismounted and mounted soldier. Allowing for simplicity, modularity, and flexibility to fit the communication needs of the soldier either mounted in the vehicle or on the go regardless of operational requirements”, said Carsten Aagesen, SVP Sales & Marketing, INVISIO.

The INVISIO Intercom makes it possible for multiple users and radios to be connected simultaneously while using their existing soldier system. Seamless plug and play integration between control units, intercoms, headsets and interface cables are key to the versatility of the INVISIO System, as it allows for deployment of new equipment without the need for updating existing INVISIO Systems. The Intercom is small, lightweight, and highly mobile to establish Intercom anywhere.

www.invisio.com

Tags: Invisio
Posted in Advertiser, Comms, DSEi, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Velocity Systems – 30L Pack Cover and VS17 Panel

Friday, August 25th, 2017

30L Pack Cover

The 30L Pack Cover is a lightweight, water and abrasion resistant pack cover designed to camouflage or protect your pack from harsh elements. The pack cover features an easily adjustable drawstring and cord lock closure, an oval slide fastener for attachment to our 30L Summit Pack, and single layer and reversible pack cover options. It is made of 70 Denier Ripstop Nylon material and offered in Coyote Brown, Ranger Green, and MultiCam with optional reversible Multicam Alpine.

VS17 Panel

The VS17 Panel is used to identify friendly forces personnel and equipment from either the air or ground. The panel can be attached to vehicles, rucksacks, hand-held or laid-out on the ground to provide visual identification. The large and small VS17 Panel Marker come equipped with tie down loops and the medium comes with tactical toggle fasteners for attachment to the 30L Summit Pack. The VS17 Panel is made of a high-visibility Fluorescent Orange & Cerise 200 Denier pack cloth that is lightweight, water and abrasion resistant. Dimensions: Small: L24”x W24” | Medium: L31”x W10” | Large: L70”x W20”

100% made in the USA

Tags: Velocity Systems
Posted in Advertiser, Comms, Load Carrying | 3 Comments »

Warrior East 17 – INVISIO Overview

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

I know it seems a bit odd to post about Warrior East, but this video, with an overview of INVISIO’s offerings, was just released.

invisio.com

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AFCEA TechNet Augusta 2017: Panasonic Toughbook and Tablet

Monday, August 14th, 2017

Panasonic’s Toughbook lineup is ubiquitous on the battlefield, dating back to the CF-27 series laptop. The venerable CF-31 and CF-19 laptops are subcomponents of numerous C4ISR systems fielded by DoD and allied forces.

The new CF-33 and CF-20 are the replacements for the CF-31 and CF-19 and feature detachable screens for use as tablets. The screens have proprietary Panasonic technology to allow use with almost any sort of glove to include NBC and cold weather gloves.

The FZ-X1 Tough Tablet is a 5″ Android tablet that’s rated to 30 minutes submersion, 10 foot drops, and operation down to -4F. Both touchscreen and programmable hardware hot-keys allow access to any application. Of particular note is the user replaceable battery, allowing for a long service life. Business card for scale.

Front

Side

Rear. Of note, the camera module can be replaced with a bar code scanner.

The CF-20 and CF-33 are 10.1″ and 12″ laptops with detachable screens. The keyboard base functions as a docking and port base as well as home for additional battery power. The signature front mount carry handle of the Toughbook line has been moved the rear to serve as a stabilizer when the screen is tilted back now that most of the “guts” have been moved into the detachable screen section.

The CF-31 will remain in legacy production for the near-term to fulfill existing requirements but expect it to be phased out after another hardware refresh cycle.

Finally, the Toughpad FZ-M1 7″ Windows tablet is available along with the larger Toughpad FZ-G1 10″ tablet. A matching pair of Android based tablets are also available. The devices are fully ruggedized and targeted at medical and maintenance applications.

A full line of Windows and Linux drivers and APIs are available directly from Panasonic to allow customized application from a single vendor with the complete TDP.

Panasonic Business Solutions

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