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18 September 2015

DSEI 2015: Datron Announces HF Radio + Aeryon SkyRanger Success

Datron World Communications, a US-based leading supplier of military communications products, announced at DSEI the receipt of order from a customer in the Middle East for a multi-year contract to upgrade all of their diplomatic HF radio and command systems around the world.

At DSEI 2015, Datron announced an order for diplomatic HF radio and command systems from a Middle Eastern customer. (Photos: DPM)

The new system will be for the customer’s global secure HF voice and data communications and will revolve around Datron’s RT7700H HF transceiver in 125W, 500W, 1,000W and 5,000W configurations. Datron has partnered with Frequentis Defense Inc. to deliver the command and control infrastructure. The program will be implemented in multiple phases with the first phase already in progress.

One of the key reasons this customer selected Datron was their trust in our company and in our capabilities with HF networks and system implementation,” said Art Barter, President and CEO of Datron. “We are pleased to partner with Frequentis on this exciting project to provide a missioncritical global HF command and control network that will continue to grow with the customer’s needs for years to come.”

Leveraging Datron’s RT7700H JITC-certified software-defined HF transceiver, 7700-Series systems have proven interoperability with other certified ALE radios to meet demanding HF requirements now and in the future. The 7700-Series transceiver has been validated for Link-11 compatibility to deliver maritime tactical digital information link (TADIL), and is IP-addressable for local or remote operation via Datron’s PC-based Virtual Remote Control application. Datron is showcasing the 7700-Series Strategic HF Communications System at booth N4-320.


Datron furthermore has had successful flight demonstrations of the Aeryon Labs SkyRanger small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) during the opening days of the DSEI 2015 exhibition, leveraging the new 30x optical zoom camera payload to provide live video from above the waterborne presentation.

As a US-based distributor for Aeryon Labs for over five years, Datron has delivered SkyRanger systems, training and support to numerous customers with the US DoD to date. “Datron is a trusted and approved vendor with the US DoD for VTOL sUAS, working to ensure systems meet the demanding requirements of our customers,” Barter explained. “For example, we’ve developed our own antenna technology to provide Datron’s customers much-improved RF links between the basestation and aerial platform, which ultimately provides better image quality and system reliability.”

Over the past several months, Datron has also facilitated the SkyRanger integration with others to bring forward an integrated demonstration of mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) radio technology. The culmination of this integration was demonstrated successfully at the customer’s test range just last month, with the productised integration just announced by Aeryon at DSEI:

SkyRanger VTOL sUAS. (Photo: Aeryon)

At DSEI, Aeryon Labs announced a technology partnership with TrellisWare Technologies, a world leader in wireless communications solutions and signal processing innovations, to integrate TrellisWare TSM MANET radio technology into the SkyRanger sUAS. This partnership will deliver new capabilities to SkyRanger operators, including the ability to: Deploy SkyRanger, carrying an integrated TrellisWare TW-600 OCELOT radio payload, as an airborne communications relay node extending the bubble of the TSM network beyond-line-of-sight (for example, to the far side of a hill or building) and ensuring communication is maintained between ground-based personnel; and to distribute real-time video from the SkyRanger into the TSM network, enabling remote personnel up to 26mi (42km) away to benefit from the aerial situational awareness obtained by the aircraft.

Our partnership with TrellisWare exhibits the extensible and secure architecture of the Aeryon SkyRanger, making it ideal for military sUAS operators,” commented Dave Kroetsch, President and CEO of Aeryon Labs. “The integration of SkyRanger and the TrellisWare TSM solutions illustrates how sUAS provide a safe and reliable way for ground-based and remote personnel to make informed decisions in high-risk situations.”

Small UAVs are an important operational asset to our customers across the globe,” said Tom Carter, TrellisWare’s President and CEO. “The combination of Aeryon’s sUAS and TrellisWare’s TSM technologies deliver enhanced situational awareness and extended network coverage to every user.”

According to Aeryon, the companies first demonstrated the interoperability of their technologies at the US Marine Corps Camp Lejeune on 4 August 2015. TrellisWare collaborated with Datron, Aeryon Labs, and Black Diamond Advanced Technologies to demonstrate control of the SkyRanger sUAS and distribution of aerial real-time video over a TSM network. Connected by the TrellisWare robust and infrastructure-less TSM network, the SkyRanger sUAS sent live video over the TSM network, viewable to every user with an enabled Android device or PC. In addition, the TSM network provided multi-hop extension to the UAS control link. Black Diamond’s APEx PREDATOR System enabled communications from the TSM radio to multiple end user devices and provided a single power management solution.

Datron’s Programme Manager for UAS flew the sUAS equipped with a TSM radio, enabling streaming video and thermal imaging from the SkyRanger over the TSM network. This capability offers a variety of benefits for applications such as ISR, convoy and perimeter security, emergency response and mapping. Without having to use point-to-point data links, the UAV and TSM capabilities offer a seamless solution that keeps warfighters out of harm’s way while achieving situational awareness.

We are excited to team up with Datron World Communications, Aeryon Labs Inc. and Black Diamond Advanced Technologies to showcase the power of combining unmanned systems and a robust mobile ad-hoc network such as TSM,” said Tom Carter, TrellisWare’s President and CEO. “This gives every mobile user real-time access to aerial ISR feed, enhancing their effectiveness and safety.”

Datron will continue to demonstrate the SkyRanger twice daily at the waterborne presentations throughout the week, and is showcasing their entire military communications product line at booth N4-320 during DSEI 2015 in London, UK through Friday, 18 September (today).

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