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Editor’s Perspective
5 SOF Week Show Daily, uncrewed systems By John M. McHale III
Mil Tech Insider
7 Implementing RAID configurations for deployed NAS systems By Steve Petric
Technology Update
8 Early STEM education and the workforce of the future By Lisa Daigle
Guest Blogs
44 Solving harsh environment challenges in fiber applications By Thomas Mittermeier, ODU
45 The U.S. Army’s SBOM mandate: A catalyst for software supply-chain security By Joel Krooswyk, GitLab
Defense Tech Wire
10 By Dan Taylor
Editor’s Choice Products
42 By Military Embedded Systems Staff
Connecting with Mil Embedded
46 By Lisa Daigle
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SPECIAL REPORT: Counter-UAS technology
14 Defeating UAS threats requires complex and flexible solutions By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director
MIL TECH TRENDS: Low-power electronics for UAS
18 Power play: Optimizing SWaP on uncrewed systems By Dan Taylor, Technology Editor
22 Tactics to enable SWaP-C improvements in military thermal imaging By Wade Appelman, Owl Autonomous Imaging
26 SWaP benefits of highly integrated multibeam beamformers for payload phased-array antennas By Qui Luu, Analog Devices
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT:
MOSA solutions for unmanned systems: SBCs, RTOS, connectors, backplanes, etc.
32 Airborne attritable systems and open systems
By Jason DeChiaro, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions
36 Facilitating autonomous and semi-autonomous defense operations By Timothy Stewart, Aitech
ON THE COVER:
Sometimes the old ways are best. Point and shoot. But for complex uncrewed aerial system (UAS) threats, sophisticated countermeasures are needed. Pictured: A U.S. Air Force airman assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron aims an M4 Carbine at an unmanned aerial system. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zeeshan Naeem.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1864255/
By John M. McHale III
Once again, Military Embedded Systems is partnering with U.K. publisher Shephard Media to produce the SOF Week 2025 Show Daily, as we were named the official Media and Show Daily Partners for SOF Week 2025.
This issue, which will be distributed at SOF Week 2025 on May 5-8, is also our Uncrewed Systems issue, featuring content focused on uncrewed aerial system (UAS) payloads; size, weight, and power (SWaP) challenges; and counter-UAS technology.
SOF Week is the annual conference for Special Operations Forces (SOF) that brings together the international SOF community. The event, jointly sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Global SOF Foundation, drew more than 19,000 attendees in 2024, along with more than 500 exhibitors. A large portion of those exhibitors supply UAS and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
A perfect example of a company marrying AI and UAS technology for Special Forces is Shield AI. Our most-read story from last year’s SOF Week Daily was my interview with former Navy Seal and Shield AI cofounder and President Brandon Tseng titled “AI technology and USSOCOM.”
In the article I asked Tseng where he sees AI impacting Special Operations Forces in the military five or 10 years from now. He replied: “AI pilots, a self-driving technology as applied to drones. These can be UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles], UGVs [uncrewed ground vehicles], you name it. It doesn’t matter which domain they’re operating in. This is something I speak a lot with international customers about, but there is no reason why a SEAL platoon or a Ranger troop can’t wield the same combat power as a carrier strike group. No reason why with AI that those 16 people can’t have the same combat power as a 5,000-person carrier strike group consisting of 200 aircraft, short- and long-range missiles, destroyers, etc.”
Tseng went on to say that AI pilots are coming, and quickly: “You will have a single person capable of commanding 300,000 aircraft loitering munitions, effectively with the optimal effectiveness on the battlefield because of the AI that is piloting, commanding, and maneuvering these assets. It’s fundamentally a massive paradigm shift. USSOCOM [U.S. Special Operations Command] has the smallest budget out of the services. There is no reason why they can’t have the most impact if they employ those resources in a sophisticated way as it relates to AI and autonomy.” Read the rest of the interview at https://militaryembedded.com/ai/big-data/ai-technology-and-ussocom.
Shield AI also made news in January of this year when the company announced it began training Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) to operate the V-BAT, a vertical take-off
John.McHale@opensysmedia.com
and landing (VTOL) UAS capable of operating in electronic warfare environments. The company is currently working with USF personnel to deliver training aimed at deploying V-BATs in front-line operations, the company statement reads.
Solutions like those from Shield AI are complex and tough to stop. Adversarial UAS threats are evolving fast as well, which is why investment in counter-UAS technology is growing. For more on that, see my article titled “Defeating UAS threats requires complex and flexible solutions” on page 14, including how AI and deep learning improve tracking and classification when tracking UAS platforms.
Deep learning improves the effective reach of weapons platforms and can be extended via classification and positional accuracy, which leads to more effective targeting at maximum weapon range says Leo McCloskey, VP of Marketing at Echodyne (Kirkland, Washington) in the article. Echodyne will also be exhibiting at SOF Week.
These and other topics important to USSOCOM will be covered by our team of journalists at SOF Week. Last year, our SOF Week Show Daily team posted more than 80 pieces of content over four days consisting of videos, news, and blogs on the technology showcased at the event; news from the show; conference presentations from USSOCOM and industry leaders; and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. To view our coverage from last year, visit https://militaryembedded.com/ topics/SOFWeek and http://www.shephardmedia.com/. You can visit the show site at https://sofweek.org/.
The next-most-read story in our SOF Week 2024 Show Daily was “USSOCOM chief denounces actions of China, Russia, and others; warns of ‘decisive decade,’” coverage of USSOCOM Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton’s keynote address. Read it here: https://tinyurl.com/2s4dk8px.
To participate editorially in the Official SOF Week Show Daily newsletter – one deploys in the morning and one in the evening each day to all show attendees – email me at john.mchale@ opensysmedia.com.
If you are an exhibitor/sponsor and want to learn about sponsorship opportunities in the Official SOF Week Daily and SOF Week TV channel, contact Patrick Hopper at patrick.hopper@ opensysmedia.com.
The newsletters reach all show attendees and the combined SOF-related audiences of Military Embedded Systems and The Shephard Group.
See you at the show!
TITLE
29 ACCES I/O Products, Inc. –M.2. – The news, more flexible alternative to PCIe mini cards 40 AirBorn – Sinergy. Small & modular with speeds up to 25 Gbps
2 Analog Devices, Inc. –Who better to integrate ADI parts than ADI?
25 LCR Embedded Systems, Inc. –Mission possible. VPX and SOSA aligned solutions for any mission 21 Sealevel Systems, Inc. –Command the edge
41 Silvus Technologies –Silvus Technologies Unveils StreamCaster LITE 5200: Ultra-Low SWaP OEM Module
Sea-Air-Space 2025 National Harbor, MD April 6-9, 2025 https://seaairspace.org/
SOF Week 2025
May 5-8, 2025 Tampa, FL https://sofweek.org/
AUVSI Xponential 2025
May 19-22, 2025 Houston, TX https://xponential.org/
IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS) June 15-20, 2025 San Francisco, CA
https://ims-ieee.org/
GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR John McHale john.mchale@opensysmedia.com
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Lisa Daigle lisa.daigle@opensysmedia.com
TECHNOLOGY EDITOR – WASHINGTON BUREAU Dan Taylor dan.taylor@opensysmedia.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Stephanie Sweet stephanie.sweet@opensysmedia.com
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FINANCIAL
Emily Verhoeks emily.verhoeks@opensysmedia.com
By Steve Petric
Network-attached storage (NAS) systems for mission-critical applications often rely on a redundant array of independent disk (RAID) configurations to mitigate data loss from disk failures, improve data throughput speed, and maximize storage efficiency. Users can effectively implement RAID to optimize their NAS systems and ensure critical data protection in deployed environments by carefully considering storage capacity, performance, and platform requirements.
By combining multiple physical disks into a single system, RAID distributes data using various methods to achieve redundancy and speed. There are five primary RAID architectures – RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10 (configurations 2, 3, and 4 are essentially obsolete) –each of which offers unique advantages and drawbacks.
RAID 0 is designed for speed and employs striping to distribute data across multiple disks: Striping entails dividing the data into blocks and spreading the blocks across multiple disks. RAID 0 can be formed using two or more disks of various types, such as FC, SATA, NVMe, SSD, or HDD. RAID 0 carries the advantage of maximizing storage efficiency by fully utilizing all disks in the array, contributing to total available capacity, making it a cost-efficient option for using all the disk capacity. RAID 1 is known as disk mirroring because it stores identical copies of data stored on multiple disks. Primary drawbacks of RAID 1 are slower speed, reduced capacity, and increased cost. As data is replicated across multiple disks, the usable storage capacity is halved when compared to RAID 0, but RAID 1 does carry the advantage of being able to recover from one failed disk.
RAID 5 leverages striping and distributed parity to provide data redundancy and enhanced performance, with a minimum of three disks required to build a RAID 5 array. Data is segmented into smaller blocks and uniformly distributed across all disks through block-level striping. Unlike RAID 1, where a complete duplicate of data is stored on each disk, RAID 5 distributes the parity information across all disks, thereby making it more resilient from failures. The advantages of RAID 5 include data recovery from one failed disk and greater capacity and cost efficiency than RAID 1 for larger arrays with more than three disks. The disadvantages: reduced capacity, increased cost, rebuild required after failure, and initial high build time.
RAID 6 employs block-level striping with double-distributed parity, so it can withstand the failure of up to two disks without compromising data integrity. A minimum of four disks is required to build a RAID 6 array. Similar to RAID 5, RAID 6 utilizes block-level striping to distribute data across drives. The advantages of RAID 6 include excellent data recovery from up to two failed disks and greater capacity and cost than RAID 1 for larger arrays (>4 disks). The disadvantages of RAID 6 are reduced capacity, increased cost, rebuild required after failure, and extended initial build time.
RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, also uses the striping of RAID 0 and mirroring of RAID 1. It requires a minimum of four disks and offers a combination of performance and data redundancy. Essentially, a RAID 0 controller stripes data onto two RAID 1 arrays. In comparison to RAID 5 or RAID 6, RAID 10 delivers superior speed due to the RAID 0 striping. However, RAID 10 consistently entails a 50% reduction in capacity and increased cost compared to RAID 0, because half the storage capacity is used for data redundancy. Whereas RAID 1 protects data in the event of disk failure, RAID 10 tolerates the failure of one disk anywhere in the array.
Figure 1 | The HSR10 (High-Speed Recorder 10) with CSfC encryption is a COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] high-speed network recorder and NAS device that supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10.
The advantages of RAID 10 are recovery from one failed disk and speed, but that 50% reduction in capacity is a disadvantage, as is the doubled cost compared to RAID 0.
NAS devices are almost exclusively equipped with SSDs [solid-state drives], using SATA or NVMe interface standards. Deployed vehicles often operate in hostile environments, exposing stored DAR [data at rest] to internal and external threats from nation-states, hackers, and bad actors. Because the deployed vehicles frequently carry highly sensitive, up to Top Secret-level data – including maps, plans, and sensor information –stringent physical-security protocols and robust encryption methods must be implemented to safeguard the critical data from unauthorized access, exploitation, or loss.
Encryption protects data from unauthorized access but can’t prevent data loss from disk failure; implementing RAID on the NAS mitigates this risk and ensures data integrity. RAID 1, 5, 6, or 10 configurations are recommended for deployed NAS systems to prevent data loss from disk failure. (Figure 1.)
Steve Petric is senior product manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions.
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions https://www.curtisswrightds.com/
By Lisa Daigle, Assistant Managing Editor
The watchword in the U.S. education arena for the last 20 or so years has been STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – student immersion in the problem-solving, analytical thinking, and science competencies needed for the U.S. to maintain its momentum in science and technology innovation.
Industries that rely on rapidly changing complex technologies often face significant skills and expertise gaps, which clarifies the need for a well-educated workforce. Comprehensive STEM education aims to show students early on what scientific and technology careers can entail; encourage critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills; enhance their ability to adapt to challenging situations; and prepare them to work on effective solutions to real-world problems.
Huntsville, Alabama, is known as a technology hub – particularly in the defense arena: major defense, space, and engineering companies have an outsized presence in the Huntsville area, along with the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the U.S.
A 2024 report from commercial realestate and investment firm CBRE Group Inc. (CBRE) named Huntsville the numberone up-and-coming tech-talent market, citing its 17.9% growth in tech employment and 19.6% increase in technology wages over the previous five years. Moreover, as of the end of 2023, the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that the Huntsville, Alabama metro area was home to 44,450 people employed in jobs connected to STEM. The CBRE report also called Huntsville the top of the “next 25” emerging markets, outpacing growing cities like Omaha, Nebraska, and Albany, New York.
The challenge for areas like Huntsville: Making sure that the regional education
systems keep pace with industrial growth, ensuring excellent opportunities for students, growth opportunities for educators, and a well-educated talent pool for area employers. One such employer is defense giant Lockheed Martin, which has a large presence in Huntsville.
Lockheed Martin partnered with MindSpark Learning, a nonprofit organization that works to empower teachers and school leaders to transform education through realworld learning experiences for even the youngest students. Their aim: To upskill educators in STEM and problem-based learning to build relevant, authentic learning experiences that prepare students to enter key industries.
The MindSpark team focuses on building the capacity of schools, businesses, and communities to collaborate in ways that prepare both students and the work force for the future. MindSpark’s approach is to balance STEM education for students – as early as elementary school – with career-connected pathways and leadership development.
Kellie Lauth, the CEO of MindSpark, says she believes that all students have the right to be STEM-literate and have access to relevant, authentic learning models. “We also believe that education should not just improve a student’s academic trajectory but their economic one as well.
“There is no set criteria for engaging in quality STEM education,” she continues. “We identify schools based on their interest, their willingness to engage. The majority of our schools serve underserved student populations, rural regions, and carry a Title I designation (a federal program that aims to improve educational opportunities for students in need). We evaluate the school’s readiness to adopt a STEM model, focusing on leadership support and community interest. By addressing systemic inequities, we ensure that STEM education reaches those who need it most.”
Lauth says that its Huntsville-area program starts in early elementary school, with “hands-on, inquiry-based learning to build curiosity and foundational skills. By third grade, students are deciding what they are ‘good at’ and beginning to form their occupational identity so early career exposure and early problem-based models are key. When you start early, by high school, students are not only tackling real-world industry problems, but are actually leading the research and solution development, participating in internships and mentorships, engaging with advanced technologies, and launching their own companies.”
If students are engaged with industry since primary grades, by the time they are seniors in high school, “durable skills, workforce competencies, and a strong agency are natural to them,” she asserts. “Our focus on self-regulation, resilience, and decision-making equips students with the ability to lead under pressure. STEM schools emphasize socio-emotional intelligence and collaboration, enabling students to manage stress, think critically, and make ethical decisions. These qualities mirror the demands of leadership in military and defense roles, where adaptability and calm decision-making are paramount.”
Lauth describes how the military and defense component is integral to the students’ learning experience: “It comes through the integration of problem-solving, systems thinking, and exposure to defense technologies. Partners like Lockheed Martin bring industry-specific challenges into the classroom, mirroring the demands of defense fields.
Students gain skills relevant to military and defense careers, such as cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and engineering, making them strong candidates for these industries. Within the K-8 space, our students have tackled problems alongside industry partners focused on drone design and use, using biomimicry to create more agile designs for a specific purpose complete with prototypes. At the high school level, our students collaborate on cybersecurity projects and have tackled problems involving space junk, helium storage, and biodiversity in space.”
Specific to the Huntsville area, Lockheed Martin is participating in encouraging STEM education in several ways, Lauth notes. “As a long-standing STEM champion, Lockheed Martin plays a critical role as both a funding partner and a hands-on collaborator. They provide real-world engineering challenges for students to solve, offer mentorship from their engineers, and host workshops to deepen students’ understanding of STEM careers.” Lockheed Martin personnel and MindSpark are working on connecting education and industry by showing students what the defense and aerospace fields are all about, or what Lauth calls “projects that bridge the access and opportunity divide.”
As she tells it, the Huntsville-area MindSpark program is both vocational- and highereducation focused. “The program equips students with technical skills for immediate workforce entry through vocational training while also preparing them for higher education through transdisciplinary, research-based learning. This dual focus ensures that students have multiple pathways to success, whether they choose to pursue a degree or enter the workforce directly.
“Lockheed Martin provides opportunities such as internships, engineer shadowing, and career-exposure workshops,” Lauth explains. “These experiences allow students to interact with professionals, work on real-world problems, and gain invaluable insights into the aerospace and defense industries, enhancing their preparedness and confidence for STEM careers.”
The Lockheed partnership also extends to educators: “We believe one of the most powerful and enduring ways Lockheed supports STEM is through educator professional-learning opportunities,” she notes. “When you upskill an educator in STEM education, the impact is exponential and the ripple effect for students is larger.”
The desired outcome, Lauth states, is not just a scholarship or a job but the creation of a robust STEM talent pipeline.
“We aim for students to graduate with the skills and confidence to secure STEM scholarships, pursue higher education, or directly enter technical roles in industries like defense and aerospace,” Lauth says. “These outcomes support long-term economic mobility for students and address workforce shortages in high-demand fields. We measure success through a combination of student outcomes, engagement metrics, and industry impact. For example, we track the number of students pursuing STEM careers, the quality of partnerships, and how well students solve industry-provided problems. Ultimately, success means producing confident, diverse, skilled students who are ready to lead in any field, including military and defense.
“STEM schools serve as innovation hubs where military and defense organizations can pilot education initiatives, share emerging technologies, and build relationships with the next generation of talent,” she continues. “These partnerships not only address workforce needs but also ensure that young innovators are prepared to tackle the complex challenges faced by the defense sector.”
The MindSpark model is not just a checklist, Lauth explains, but rather an “ecosystem approach. Colleges, universities, and community colleges are key partners in our STEM model. Beyond the traditional integration of dual enrollment, early college credit,
and advanced STEM coursework in collaboration, our higher-education partners [including Colorado State University and Metropolitan State University] offer research opportunities, provide access to advanced technology for students and educators, serve as content experts within a specific field, and often provide direct feedback on student solutions and ideas. These partnerships help students transition smoothly into higher education and ensure their readiness for rigorous STEM degree programs and beyond.”
Now comes the question of how to replicate such a program in high-tech-focused areas other than Huntsville – for example, metro Boston, Scottsdale, or Austin. Lauth says that the process of replication begins with “partnering with an intermediary like MindSpark, who can speak both the language of education and the language of industry. It starts with building strong partnerships with local industries, schools, and government entities. While portable and transferable across all regions, the model will reflect the local community. The STEM model is adaptable and scalable – it focuses on aligning curricula with regional industry needs, training educators in problem-based learning, and fostering community engagement. For high-tech markets, the key is leveraging local expertise to create meaningful, realworld learning opportunities that prepare students for the demands of their region’s economy. The model does not inform from the top down, it utilizes global problems with hyper-localized solutions and centers students at the forefront of these ideas and innovations.”
In closing, Lauth says that other schools and companies can get on the path to enhanced STEM education and advisory roles by banding together. “Collaboration is at the heart of our STEM schools. Industry partners provide authentic problems for students to solve, mentorship opportunities, and resources to enhance learning. Military and defense organizations could contribute by offering case studies, technological challenges, and mentorship programs that expose students to fields like cybersecurity, logistics, and advanced engineering. These partnerships not only enrich our curriculum but also inspire students to envision careers in these sectors.”
By Dan Taylor, Technology Editor
UAS market to grow by $36.1 billion over next four years, report predicts
The global market for uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) –commonly referred to as drones – is estimated to grow by $36.1 billion from 2024-2028, according to a report from Technavio. The study authors found that the market is undergoing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of UASs in various commercial industries including real estate, transportation, entertainment and media, telecommunications, mining, and construction; as well as increases in the use of UASs in defense, industrial, and agricultural applications around the world.
The study states that in the defense sector, UASs have become essential tools for border security and military operations, as they are used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision-guided attacks using artificial intelligence (AI)-guided programs. Additionally, UASs equipped with advanced sensors and cameras provide valuable intelligence, while precision-guided bombs and missiles ensure targeted and effective interventions.
Eurofighter Mk1 radar development to continue under Hensoldt contract extension
Hensoldt won a contract extension worth approximately 350 million euros ($368.08 million) for further development of the Eurofighter Mk1 radar. The extension follows approval from the German and Spanish ministries of defense and includes additional development tasks commissioned by Airbus Defence and Space, the company statement reported.
The Eurofighter Common Radar System Mark 1 (ECRS Mk1) is an electronically scanned array (E-Scan) radar designed to enhance the air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities of the Eurofighter, while also integrating electronic warfare (EW) functions. The system is being developed by a consortium consisting of Germany’s Hensoldt Sensors GmbH and Spain’s Indra Sistemas, in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space. Hensoldt is also set to provide test systems for the Airbus A320 D-ATRA aircraft.
C4I battle-management systems to be installed in Thai Stryker vehicles
Leonardo DRS won a contract worth more than $7 million to supply and integrate C4I Battle Management System (BMS) hardware and software into the Royal Thailand army’s newly acquired Stryker combat vehicles, the company announced. The contract, awarded through the U.S. Government Grant Assistance program, includes ruggedized BMS hardware, cyber protection, network integration, training, and sustainment support. Leonardo DRS will collaborate in this effort with Chaiseri Defense, a Thai defense company, for installation and in-country support.
The BMS solution provided is based on Leonardo DRS’s Mounted Family of Computer Systems program used by the U.S. Army, offering command and control capabilities, situational awareness, combat identification, and enhanced battlefield coordination.
Space Systems Command advances response to on-orbit threats
Space-launch services provider Firefly Aerospace announced that the company won a $21.81 million contract to launch the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) VICTUS SOL Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission. The VICTUS SOL mission – expected to launch sometime in 2025 or 2026 – is intended to demonstrate rapid launch capabilities, including the ability to quickly respond and adapt to on-orbit threats. The project, according to the USSF release, is designed to boost the speed and agility of warfighters, enabling them to enhance their response capabilities.
The USSF details the terms of the contract: The VICTUS SOL launch service contract was competed on the Orbital Services Program (OSP)-4 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract managed by the Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) within SSC’s Assured Access to Space Program Executive Office (PEO).
XB-1 plane demonstrates supersonic speed with no audible sonic boom
Boom Supersonic announced that it had achieved what it called "Boomless Cruise" with its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, as it strives to enable supersonic travel over land without an audible sonic boom. According to a press release, the XB-1 took its initial supersonic flight during late January 2025, breaking the sound barrier three times without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground, thereby demonstrating that quiet supersonic travel is possible.
Boom Supersonic's release described a well-established phenomenon in physics known as Mach cutoff, in which a sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and never reaches the ground; the effect is achieved, said the company, by breaking the sound barrier at a high enough altitude, with exact speeds varying based on atmospheric conditions.
6,000 HX-2 strike UAS heading to Ukraine
Helsing will manufacture 6,000 HX-2 strike uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) for Ukraine, following a previous delivery of 4,000 HF-1 UASs produced in partnership with Ukrainian industry. The HX-2, unveiled in late 2024, is an electrically propelled X-wing precision munition with a range of up to 100 km (62.14 miles).
The Helsing statement noted that its HX-2 onboard artificial intelligence (AI) enables resistance to electronic warfare (EW), and when integrated with Helsing’s Altra reccestrike software, the UASs can operate in swarms controlled by a single operator. The system is designed for mass production at lower costs compared to conventional systems, the company noted.
Navy airborne navigation system getting upgrade
Northrop Grumman is modernizing the U.S. Navy’s airborne navigation capabilities with the implementation of the LN-251M, the next-generation upgrade of the LN-251 inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS), which leverages M-code technology. This move by the Navy and Northrop Grumman marks the first M-code navigation system –M-code is an encrypted, military-specific signal with stronger jam resistance to shield against adversarial threats – implementation for naval aircraft.
According to the announcement of the project, M-code technology provides enhanced robustness to counter GPS signal degradation, thereby giving pilots a greater ability to effectively operate in air spaces where GPS has been shut down or spoofed. The company also noted that LN-251 systems equipped with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Modules GPS may easily upgrade to M-code configuration.
Hughes and partners to bring LEO capability to AFRL DEUCSI program
Hughes Network Systems will collaborate with Eutelsat America Corp. and OneWeb Technologies Inc (EACOWT) – operating in combination as a wholly owned independent U.S. proxy company and subsidiary of Eutelsat Group – to develop an enterprisegrade OneWeb capable low-Earth orbit (LEO) modem transceiver circuit card assembly (CCA) intended to support EACOWT’s contract with L3Harris Technologies for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 003 program.
The company states that the hybrid satellite communications (SATCOM) technology is aimed at delivering resilient Eutelsat OneWeb LEO broadband connectivity to the L3Harris RASOR Ecosystem, a scalable and configurable waveform solution that unifies multiple line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight capabilities (LOS/BLOS) into a single unit. The solution will provide military users with flexible software-defined multi-orbit connectivity.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) ordered 17 CH-47JA Block II Chinook Extended Range helicopters to modernize its fleet, with production to be carried out jointly by Boeing and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), according to a Boeing announcement. Boeing and KHI have collaborated on Japan’s Chinook fleet since the 1980s, delivering more than 100 aircraft. The Block II configuration, Boeing noted, introduces reinforced airframes, upgraded fuel tanks, and a digital flight control system to improve stability, safety, and operational efficiency.
The upgraded aircraft, Boeing stated, is designed to enhance Japan’s heavy-lift capabilities while maintaining commonality with other CH-47 operators worldwide. Japan is now the fourth country to adopt the Block II Chinook, joining the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.
Satellites launch on Rocket Lab mission for Kinéis Constellation
Space and satellite component company Rocket Lab reported a launch of a mission to deploy five satellites to low Earth orbit for French Internet of Things (IoT) constellation operator Kinéis. The “IoT 4 You and Me” mission lifted off from Mahia, New Zealand on February 9, deploying five satellites to a 647 km (402 mile) low Earth orbit.
The mission was Rocket Lab’s first Electron (partially reusable space vehicle) launch of 2025, the fourth launch for Kinéis to date, and the 59th Electron launch overall. The Kinéis constellation is designed to make it possible to connect and locate any connected object anywhere in the world, enabling data transmission to users in near-real-time, at low bit rates, and with very low energy consumption.
DARPA completes autonomous ship build
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program completed construction on a prototype of a ship designed to operate autonomously for long durations at sea.
DARPA reported that construction of the prototype unmanned surface vessel (USV) USX-1 Defiant was completed during February 2025. Defiant is a 180-foot, 240-metric-ton lightship that will undergo extensive in-water testing, both docked and at sea. The craft is scheduled to depart for a multi-month at-sea demo in spring 2025, according to the DARPA schedule. The NOMARS project aims to design a seaframe from the ground up with no expectation for humans on board.
Anduril to lead U.S. Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System development
Anduril Industries and Microsoft expanded their partnership to support the next phase of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program, with Anduril taking on oversight of production, future hardware and software development, and delivery timelines, the companies announced in a joint statement.
The agreement designates Microsoft Azure as Anduril’s preferred cloud provider for workloads related to IVAS and Anduril AI technologies, the companies stated. IVAS is designed as a body-worn system integrating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to improve situational awareness, combat effectiveness, and the ability to counter drone threats, the statement noted. Anduril will focus on scaling production and tailoring future system iterations to Army requirements, while Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities will support real-time data integration and decision-making.
LTAMDS radar guides PAC-2 GEM-T missile in live-fire test
Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) detected and tracked a high-speed cruise missile and guided a Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-T (GEM-T) to intercept the target in a live-fire test. The company states that the test is part of an ongoing U.S. Army evaluation program aimed at validating the 360-degree radar’s capability to operate within the service’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture.
LTAMDS is expected to transition from development to production with a Milestone C decision in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, said company officials. Raytheon will continue to pursue international sales of the system as well, noting that Poland is the first foreign military sales customer.
JUMP 20 UAS selected for Danish military tactical operations
AeroVironment won a contract from the Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) to supply its JUMP 20 medium uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to the Danish Armed Forces.
The AeroVironment statement said that the contract, valued at up to $181 million, will cover 10 years and designate the JUMP 20 as Denmark’s tactical UAS.
The JUMP 20 is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It has an endurance of more than 13 hours and an operational range of 185 km (115 miles), plus the system is runway-independent and can autonomously launch and land.
Viper Shield EW system completes first flight on F-16 Block 70
The L3Harris all-digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, Viper Shield, completed its first flight on a single-seat Block 70 F-16 (built by Lockheed Martin) operated by the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The L3Harris announcement detailed that the initial flight included risk-reduction tests to assess the system’s compatibility with the aircraft’s mission computer, avionics subsystems, and APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the statement reads.
Viper Shield is designed to enhance the EW capabilities of international F-16 fleets, providing radar threat detection and jamming responses to disrupt adversary targeting. The system is intended to integrate across all F-16 blocks with minimal modifications and is compatible with the service’s current Mission Modular Computer and the Next-Generation Mission Computer.
By John M. McHale III
Uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) provide a decisive advantage on the battlefield for U.S., its allies, and its adversaries. However, complex UAS tactics and proliferation makes countering them a challenge of approach, acquisition strategy, and technology.
The weaponizing of uncrewed aerial system (UAS) technology is not new, but many would agree it has kept the Ukraine in the fight against a numerically superior foe with much deeper resources. UAS technology is a force multiplier on the battlefield; faster acquisition of such technology can actually make the difference between victory and defeat.
The same is true when developing the technology to counter the threat: Faster acquisition of sophisticated commercial
radar, processing, and radio-frequency (RF) technology with open architecture designs will enable faster deployment of counter-drone solutions to the fight.
“Yes, faster acquisition is part of the response,” says Dave Toomey, AVP, Business Development, SRC (Syracuse, New York). “System fielding and upgrades must keep pace with the evolving threat, so we seek ways to rapidly adapt, test, and deliver to the force. But we – collectively, military partners and industry – have learned much more from the C-UAS [counter-UAS] efforts in Ukraine. The UAS threat has shaped the modern battlespace, and C-UAS will remain an essential force-protection tool set and skill set for years to come.” The technology, of course, is very important, but these systems must be considered in the context of their use among other elements, like training, kinetic versus nonkinetic rules of engagement, nontechnical updated tactics, the operational environment (urban, open terrain, littoral), and the like.
Figure 1 | SRC supports the U.S. Army Low, Slow, Small UAS Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) family of systems with radar, electronic warfare, direction-finding, and camera systems to detect, track, identify, and defeat groups 1 to 3 UAS (UASs weighing between less than 20 pounds to just under 1,320 pounds.
Ukraine is just one example of the benefits of faster deployment of defense technology.
“The ongoing war in Ukraine is the obvious example, but there are touchpoints and examples at all levels of national and international activities that are informing requirements and solutions,” Leo McCloskey, VP of Marketing at Echodyne (Kirkland, Washington). “It’s probably best to say that the current flashpoints are sharpening requirements that will lead to better counter-UAS systems acquisitions, but the acquisition process remains an obstacle to rapid systems evolution that matches quickly evolving threats. Existing systems that can be swiftly and cost-efficiently modified or adapted for the counter-UAS task, such as adding radar to existing RWS [remote weapons systems], are increasingly attractive to both counterUAS system operators and procurement and acquisition organizations.”
Small UAS platforms are causing much of the havoc on the battlefield.
“The proliferation of small UASs has introduced a new dimension to modern warfare. These widely available and increasingly sophisticated platforms serve multiple purposes, from reconnaissance
to weapon delivery systems or even as sacrificial or expendable jammers. Their small size and exceptional maneuverability make them elusive targets for traditional radar systems,” writes Nate Knight in a Military Embedded Systems article (January/February 2025) titled ʻThe evolving battlefield: How radar technology is advancing in the age of advanced electronic warfare and C-UASʼ: “Further, the ability to deploy large numbers of small UAS in coordinated swarms overwhelms traditional tracking and engagement systems. This threat landscape demands radar systems capable of detecting, tracking, and classifying multiple small, agile targets in complex environments while maintaining the ability to manage traditional threats.”
As threats get more complicated, so does the response to the threat, whether it’s hypersonic missiles or a small swarm of drones in an urban environment.
“What we’ve observed in our over two decades of C-UAS development – and even longer in radar and electronic warfare (EW) systems – is that the threat is constantly evolving,” Toomey says. “Our military and security partners require technical solutions that are flexible, adaptable, and easily upgradeable to keep pace with this evolution.
“Today’s threat environment resides on a spectrum – from small commercial drones to large military/nonstate UAS platforms; from individual harassment and surveillance drones to complex swarms, explosives-delivery, and indirect targeting applications,” Toomey continues. “This requires us to deliver C-UAS solutions that are scalable to meet each customer’s unique operational environment and mission needs.
Counter-UAS end users also need to ensure the system costs match the mission.
“Cost-per-kill ratio is important,” Toomey says. “You can spend a lot on defeating a threat that is low-cost. This can be a bad formula. Each of these factors drive our development. Our partners need options. We respond by designing excellent sensors optimized for the mission, by offering a variety of defeat techniques, and by emphasizing smart decision-support capabilities.
Defeating threats with technology
Counter-UAS solutions range from the act of simply shooting one down with a projectile weapon like a rifle to more complicated solutions such as multilevel systems that detect the UAS, track it back to its origin, then take out the drone and launch source.
“To detect and classify a drone, the system may have radars, passive RF detectors, acoustic detectors, or cameras,” Toomey notes. “To counter a drone, various capabilities may be used: jamming, NAVWAR [Naval Information Warfare Systems Command], guns, lasers, or missiles.” (Figure 1.)
An enabling counter-UAS (uncrewed aerial system) technology that has been around for some time is software-defined radio (SDR).
SRC has been working with SDR technology and developing capabilities for decades, says Dave Toomey, AVP, Business Development, SRC (Syracuse, New York). SDR is “precisely what has allowed SRC to respond to threat evolution.” Starting with efforts to combat the improvised explosive device (IED) threat with systems like the Duke C-RCIED jammer, the technology has evolved to the point that it enables SRC’s Protean, a next generation C-UAS defeat capability which can scale for multi-mission electronic warfare (MMEW) applications.
The company’s radars are similarly software-configurable, enabling the sensors to be tuned to specific threats and environments, he adds.
Toomey says the capabilities developed must “provide comprehensive airspace and battlefield surveillance while providing mitigation options, all without overwhelming the individual user. “The key requirements are: (1) situational awareness, (2) force protection, and (3) modularity. What this frequently means is our customers need an ecosystem of complementary sensors and effectors that can scale to meet each day’s threat. Our radar, electronic warfare, and decisionsupport technologies offer detection redundancy. This is important because each sensor and effector has certain strengths and challenges in response to varying UAS technologies and employment tactics.”
Defeating small UAS threats also calls for more mobile counter-UAS systems.
“For maneuver formations, the prevalence of small UASs and other asymmetric threats has necessitated the development of defensive capabilities at the individual vehicle level,” Knight writes. “Equipping vehicles within a formation with their own radar systems enhances operational flexibility and vastly improves the survivability in contested environments. By adopting this distributed model, military forces can better adapt to the evolving nature of electronic warfare and maintain operational effectiveness in the face of emerging threats.”
Requirements also change based on the types of threats, the mission priority, and of course budget constraints.
“The requirements have been shifting over the past few budget cycles in three equally important directions,” McCloskey says. “First, the requirements for accuracy and classification are moving to the top of most lists. The need for long-range awareness will always be an essential element and is capably provided by the current portfolio of exquisite air defense radars. But planners, strategists, and activity in hot zones are confirming a new need to correctly classify the object when it enters the effective kill zone and provide persistent high-precision radar track data to accurately train sensors and direct weapon systems within the kill zone.
Figure 2 | For counter-UAS applications, Echodyne offers the EchoShield counter-UAS system (pictured). According to Echodyne, recent demonstrations and activity confirmed increased RWS lethality by adding EchoGuard (<1 km or 0.62 mile kill zone) and its sister product EchoShield (<5 km or 3.11 miles kill zone) to existing weapon platforms (cannons, rockets, directed-energy weapons), for a rapid, cost-efficient path to fielding broad counter-UAS capabilities.
“Second, the idea of engagement economics is increasingly influencing many decisions,” he continues. “Engagement economics identifies that the low-cost and supply hurdles for an effective drone attack must be matched by a low-cost and ready supply of effective counter-UAS solutions, from sensors through the C2 [command and control] to the weapon system.
One of the most expedient and low-cost paths to an effective counter-UAS platform is augmenting existing RWS with high-fidelity radar data that trains the optics sensors and provides range, bearing, and range-rate information to the fire control system. (Figure 2.)
“Lastly, the importance of software releases and a cadence of software-based performance improvements to continually optimize both the radar itself and the relevance of the data output for counter-UAS platforms and solutions are becoming increasingly relevant to solution acquisition and sustainment,” McCloskey says.
Faster acquisition of technology is also enabled by leveraging open architectures or a modular open systems approach (MOSA) strategy. The latter has been mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for all new programs and tech refreshes, as open architectures enable long-term cost savings and interoperability.
“Our systems-design approach complies with MOSA,” McCloskey says. “The idea behind MOSA allows for the platform or system to swiftly integrate components to meet varying needs. As such, it’s a topic that is most pertinent to the C2 software in the counter-UAS solution. What is required at the component level is an intuitive and flexible software approach that incorporates standards-based interfaces (Gigabit Ethernet, TCP/IP) to generate high-quality data and optimize counter-UAS performance.”
Standards often leveraged for counter-UAS solutions include the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard and C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS).
SRC’s Protean EW system is designed with MOSA in mind and aligns to the SOSA Technical Standard, Toomey says. “The system is [also] compliant with CMOSS,” he adds. “This is essential for incorporating new techniques and mission sets, and for allowing third-party capabilities to be added into Protean. The goal is to allow us and our customers to be ready and responsive to future threats.” (Figure 3.)
Figure 3 | The SRC Protean Multi-Mission RF Suite of Systems provides adaptable multi- and joint-domain operations throughout ground, air, sea, space, and cyberspace operations. The suite can be configured to platform and mission needs across the conflict continuum to perform singular or multifunction missions, including counter-UAS operations.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and deeplearning techniques are often part of UAS designs, whether it’s leveraged in the platform or the payload. The same is true for counter-UAS systems.
Deep-learning technology can aid with tracking and classifying. McCloskey says his company’s Echodyne’s multiclass classification is based on deep-learning technology built on recurrent neural nets that is “constantly improved through testing, tagging, and machine learning (ML) techniques and then realized in performance via regular software updates.”
The effective reach of weapons platforms can be extended via classification and positional accuracy, which leads to more effective targeting at maximum weapon range, he adds.
AI and ML are present in many different places in defense applications today including radar, Toomey says. “Today’s radars – including SRC’s AESA R1410, R1520, and R1540 advanced radars – not only detect better, but they also classify better. AI/ML plays a role in processing EO/IR camera data. [Our] Protean EW system uses smart decision techniques. Finally, various decision support elements are key for C2.”
“The integration of AI and ML into radar systems is enhancing the ability of these systems to distinguish between threats and non-threats, and to adapt to new electronic warfare tactics in real time,” Knight writes. “AI algorithms can automate the classification and identification of targets, considerably reducing the cognitive load on human operators. Moreover, ML techniques enable radars to dynamically optimize their waveforms based on the current electromagnetic environment and mission requirements. Further, AI-driven radar systems can identify and mitigate various forms of interference and jamming in real time, enhancing sensing performance in contested environments.”
MES
Detecting autonomous aircraft of any size will rely on radar technology. There are different radar systems in use for counter-UAS applications, including metamaterial electronically scanned array (MESA) radars.
“The best-performing radars are built on electronically scanned array (ESA) designs that have seen little fundamental change over the past decades,” says Leo McCloskey, VP of Marketing at Echodyne (Kirkland, Washington). “While improvements are always being made, there are known design limitations to miniaturizing ESA designs that provide a rigid cost, size, weight, and power (C-SWaP) floor.
Echodyne’s engineers instead take a physics-design approach, known as metamaterials – which means the sum of the materials is greater than its parts, he continues. The adaptive beamforming of MESA radars “focuses energy into a very small area of space to generate high-fidelity airspace data that radically improves object detection and separability, correctly classifies the object to reduce system strain, and
provides the highest and most consistent track accuracy in their respective range classes." (Sidebar Figure 1.)
Mobility is becoming a major requirement for counter-UAS applications and for other applications that leverage radar systems. “A mobile radar also optimizes the situational awareness for its location, rather than depending on remote sensors to properly illuminate the immediate area,” McCloskey explains. “Moving traditional ESA radars can be problematic, as each has highly sensitive components, requires localized calibration, and increases maintenance downtime for mechanical subsystems. [The] solid-state MESA architecture eliminates the need for costly maintenance and calibration and, through a dedicated kinematics interface, enables mobile performance to equal that of fixed site deployments.
Echodyne’s MESA design is a much denser transmit/receive array in a much lower SWaP format, he continues. “This directly correlates to very small transmit beams that interrogate small slivers of the airspace
Sidebar Figure 1 | The EchoShield radar from Echodyne is a MESA radar leveraged in counter-UAS applications.
(covering the entire field of regard in about a second), returning high-fidelity data that correctly classifies the object(s). With radar as one of the foundational sensors in every counter-UAS system, richer, more accurate radar data equates to much higher levels of system performance.”
Low-power electronics for UAS
By Dan Taylor
A small reconnaissance uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launches into a contested airspace, and its internal systems immediately get to work. The tiny aircraft’s processors crunch real-time sensor data while running artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, its phased-array radar scanning for threats.
Just a decade ago, placing capabilities such as AI and radar processing on a small UAS would have required a much larger vehicle – or would have drained the batteries in minutes. Now rapid advances in power management and electronics are shrinking what’s possible into increasingly compact packages.
The big challenge: Balancing SWaP-C Adding capabilities to a platform means – almost inevitably – that power consumption will increase. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has tasked contractors with
doing exactly the opposite, however, and that requires a lot of creativity in the industry.
It’s a Herculean task to deliver highperformance processing, sensor fusion, radar, and communications capabilities while working within strict size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) constraints, notes Jeff Massman, senior manager of phased-array platforms for aerospace and defense at Analog Devices
Figure 1 | The SBC3901 from Abaco Systems is a 3U VPX compute-intensive single-board computer designed for both autonomous and embedded edgecomputing systems that require real-time GPU processing, instantaneous data transfer, dedicated encode/decode capabilities, and deep learning (DL) algorithms. Image courtesy Abaco Systems.
“Unmanned systems are becoming increasingly autonomous, requiring realtime AI-driven decision-making, phasedarray radar for situational awareness, and high-bandwidth RF communication links, all of which drive up power consumption,” Massman says.
Mark Littlefield, director of systems products at Elma Electronic (Fremont, California), says because uncrewed systems are particularly SWaP-sensitive, “power management and the space taken by the payload hardware are probably the two prime concerns for the system integrator.”
Some experts see size constraints at the component level as the main concern.
“As you get smaller and smaller, all the necessary logistical components of an embedded product – i.e., connectors, power supplies, etc. – play an outsized role in the volume that the product fills,” says Noah Donaldson, chief technical officer at Annapolis Micro Systems (Annapolis, Maryland).
As processing performance increases, so does power-management complexity.
“High-performance computing continues to evolve exponentially and so does the requirement for power,” says Shaun Fischer, division vice president of business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama). “With the growing application of automation and autonomy, the need for more and more power will not subside.” (Figure 1.)
These mounting power needs are compounded by harsh operating environments. Massman notes that “these systems must operate in harsh and contested environments, such as high altitudes and extreme temperatures, where power efficiency directly impacts mission endurance.”
Power management trends
Defense contractors are developing solutions to handle increased sensor and processing loads while maintaining strict power constraints. They range from packaging techniques to advanced materials and intelligent power-management systems.
“We are developing high-efficiency powerconversion solutions leveraging GaN [gallium nitride] and SiC [silicon carbide] materials, which provide higher power density and faster switching speeds while reducing thermal losses,” Massman says. “These innovations are particularly beneficial for powering phased-array antennas, which require precise power distribution to multiple digitizers, beamforming ICs, and transceivers.”
Some companies are solving power management challenges through new packaging approaches.
“We’ve begun integrating new power supplies that meet environmental and performance requirements yet are packaged in unique ways to better fit in small form factors,” Donaldson says, pointing to a direct RF small-form-factor module the company has developed that is a fraction of the size of a 3U VPX board.
Analog Devices engineers developed a packaging technique called 3D heterogeneous integration and high-conductivity substrates, which “enhance heat dissipation while maintaining compact system footprints,” Massman says.
Thermal-management considerations As autonomous platforms pack more processing power into smaller spaces, thermal challenges grow.
“Thermal management is critical for maintaining performance and reliability
Figure 2 | The WILDSTAR SAF1 smallform-factor module may be deployed as a single standalone unit for edge applications close to the sensor and in other tightenvelope environments, or dual-mounted on a 3U OpenVPX baseboard for processingintensive applications such as electronic warfare (EW) and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Image courtesy Annapolis Micro Systems.
in unmanned systems, particularly as they integrate power-dense electronics like phased arrays, AI processors, and multichannel RF transceivers,” Massman says.
Defense contractors are employing a range of solutions – and for some, traditional cooling works best.
“When we can, we use the same triedand-true low-cost solutions we always have – conduction-cooled solid metal frames,” Donaldson says. (Figure 2.)
“Where power density requires it, we use more sophisticated techniques, like heat pipes, vapor chambers, more exotic materials, or liquid,” he adds.
More complex cooling solutions also require more intelligent thermal-management systems. “Adaptive power scaling further optimizes thermal performance by dynamically adjusting power consumption based on sensor activity, RF load, and mission priorities,” ADI’s Massman explains. “These innovations help unmanned platforms maintain consistent phased-array radar performance, AI-driven decision-making, and highspeed communications, even in highaltitude, high-temperature, or contested environments.”
Engineers must keep the surrounding environment in mind when designing these electronics. Once drones get above 25,000 to 30,000 feet, exchanging heat with cooling surfaces gets more difficult.
That means even though the air itself is very cold, it’s difficult in that environment to keep the electronics cool, Littlefield says. “As a result, for extremely high altitudes one must take advantage of other methods to manage heat like using the airframe or fuel tanks as heat sinks, or even actively managing the electronics by turning things off if they are not needed for periods of time. This last approach requires a sophisticated chassis-management mechanism.”
Power efficiency is also enabled by advances in semiconductor materials and fabrication techniques. These developments range from wide-bandgap semiconductors to chiplet architectures.
For example, Analog Devices is using GaN-based power solutions that the company says generate less heat and offer better efficiency compared to silicon-based devices – which reduces the need for active cooling.
“Wide-bandgap semiconductors like GaN and SiC are revolutionizing power solutions by enhancing efficiency, reducing energy losses, and improving thermal performance, which is critical for unmanned systems and phased-array applications,” Massman says. “GaN’s higher switching speeds and lower conduction losses allow for more
Figure 3 | An exploded view of the Analog Devices ADSY1100 series, a family of wideband multichannel RF digitizers. Image courtesy Analog Devices.
compact, power-efficient RF power amplifiers, beamforming ICs, and radar transceivers, significantly improving phasedarray performance.” (Figure 3.)
As artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI and ML) capabilities are added to uncrewed platforms, manufacturers are developing new approaches to balance processing power with energy efficiency.
It’s “probably the most challenging problem we are facing at the moment,” says Mark Littlefield, director of systems products at Elma Electronic (Fremont, California).
“AI/ML is proving to be a very powerful tool to tackle the types of problems that military sensors tackle,” Littlefield says. “The problem is, the hardware needed to perform the AI/ML calculations tends to be large and power-hungry. As a result, we often have to compromise processing performance to lower the power consumption (and heat generation).”
AI/ML is being leveraged to automate weapon systems functionality and develop fully autonomous platforms, says Shaun Fischer, division vice president of business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama). “[This] is pushing the performance-versus-power curve to the limit.”
While GPUs excel at handling AI workloads, their power consumption can be problematic. “Nvidia GPUs are a favorite tool among many organizations for applying AI/ML to computing architectures based on their optimization for parallel processing,” Fischer notes. “However, GPUs are power hogs, and increased usage is just not sustainable in many platforms.”
FPGAs may be an alternative: “AI and ML functions can often be implemented in FPGAs with a lower power-to-performance ratio than in GPUs,” says Noah Donaldson, Chief Technical Officer at Annapolis Micro
Systems (Annapolis, Maryland). “Altera’s AI Toolkit and AMD Xilinx’s AI Engine technology are a few new technologies that are allowing FPGAs to better target AI applications.”
Some manufacturers are developing specialized power-management systems for AI workloads. “We are developing low-power AI accelerators and optimized digital signal processing (DSP) units, which enable high-performance data processing while minimizing energy consumption,” says Jeff Massman, senior manager of phased-array platforms for aerospace and defense at Analog Devices (Colorado Springs, Colorado). “Our real-time power-management architectures dynamically allocate power, ensuring that high-priority tasks like realtime target tracking and beamforming receive sufficient energy, while background processes operate in low-power states.
“Our dynamic power-allocation architectures ensure that power is distributed in real time based on mission demands, sensor activity, and communication priorities, optimizing system performance,” Massman says. “AI-driven predictive power management may further enhance efficiency by adapting power consumption to changing environmental and mission conditions.”
Hybrid approaches are actually showing promise. “Sticking with Nvidia for a moment, their Jetson Orin platform is a great example where a single system-on-module (SoM) combines both power-efficient central processing with multicore ARM Cortex processors and a less powerhungry Nvidia GPU,” Fischer says. “[This results] in scaled performance for more specific purposes of weapons system and autonomous platform use cases at lower power levels.”
Chiplets can help alleviate power challenges that come from high-performance processors and FPGAs. “The latest FPGAs and GPUs are extremely capable but also power-hungry and untargeted,” Donaldson says. “On the other hand, smaller, more modular chiplets can be mixed and matched at a quicker lead time and lower NRE to optimize power efficiency and performance for particular platforms.”
Fischer asserts that the industry is increasingly moving toward chipletbased architectures. “The future of highperformance computing is moving towards advanced packaging, where the processing, memory, and other critical computing resources are evolving to chiplets or miniaturized building blocks of various functionalities. Regardless of the system function, the main advantage of chiplets for power consumption is the reduction of energy waste through advanced packaging.
“Reducing power consumption isn’t really an option moving forward, so improving efficiency is key,” he adds.
SOSA and open standards
Open architectures like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard, provide for small form factors and address SWaP challenges while also enabling interoperability and affordability.
“By leveraging SOSA aligned architectures, such as 3U VPX and VNX+, power-management solutions can be modular, allowing for seamless integration of next-generation beamforming ICs, RF transceivers, and AI processors,” Massman explains. “Standardizing power distribution, data interfaces, and thermal management across SOSA [aligned] platforms reduces development time and ensures compatibility with evolving mission needs.”
Still, there are additional considerations
“By leveraging SOSA aligned architectures, such as 3U VPX and VNX+, power-management solutions can be modular, allowing for seamless integration of next-generation beamforming ICs, RF transceivers, and AI processors.“
– Jeff Massman, Analog Devices
“Fortunately, [the SOSA Consortium] saw this problem coming and started a small-form-factor effort several years
By Wade Appelman
Companies that build vision and guidance systems for night vision, uncrewed systems, and robotics applications are very familiar with the potential for long wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging to revolutionize defense and warfare. To support broad deployment of these cameras, improvements in performance and cost are needed. By applying the SWaP-C [size, weight, power, and cost] goals originally laid out for defense equipment, a camera meeting the stringent performance and cost requirements in new automotive safety systems has been developed. These new cameras can now be supplied into defense applications, bringing back the full set of benefits.
For more than 50 years, thermal imaging has been providing the warfighter with information on the location and type of personnel, vehicles, facilities at night and under obscured conditions as illustrated in Figure 1. In that time, thermal camera size and complexity have been drastically reduced by improvements
in thermal and spatial resolution, relaxation of cryogenic-cooling requirements, and development of new thermal-sensing materials.
Even so, high-performance thermal cameras remain large and very expensive, while even small thermal cameras with limited capabilities still cost substantially more than their visible counterparts. Fortunately, improvements in other electronic equipment achieved through application of SWaP-C [size, weight, power, and cost] principles provides guidance to designers of new thermal cameras, producing the solution described here.
In the defense industry, the drive to reduce the size, weight, and power consumed by electronic equipment was labeled SWaP-C, with the “C” added to remind developers that even in defense programs, cost must be controlled. The result has been implementation of everincreasing functional integration, in the quest to provide cheap, high-functioning computers, radios, and cameras.
However, thermal imaging has been more resistant to SWaP-C improvements, primarily because of the limited choices in sensing materials suitable for detecting thermal energy at room temperature.
Two detection methods are possible. The first, similar to the detection method for visible light, is the direct conversion of incoming photons into charge. In the visible and near-infrared bands (400-1000 nm) silicon can serve as the detector. In the thermal bands (3 to 5 µm and 8 to 14 µm) however, the photon detection material must have a much smaller bandgap to match the low energy of the photons. The most common material, HgCdTe [mercury cadmium telluride], works well but must be cryogenically cooled to control dark current (dark current is the relatively small electric current that flows through photosensitive devices even when no light is hitting it). Unfortunately, coolers are big, heavy, and expensive.
Starting in the 1980s, production models of arrays of miniature bolometers became available. Instead of capturing photons to liberate charge, bolometers convert received energy (of any wavelength) into a change in resistance. This process is not as efficient as photon detection and fails to produce acceptable signal-to-noise ratio in the 3 to 5 µm band (designated mid-wave infrared or MWIR). In contrast, in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) band (8 to 14 µm), microbolometers perform well so these detectors, which do not require cooling, have become dominant in the thermalimaging markets.
For both HgCdTe and microbolometer arrays, the detector part is manufactured using special processes designed for handling the specific materials and configurations. Separately, a device called a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) is fabricated in silicon using standard production processes. The two devices are bonded together, typically with mating metal bumps, to produce a complete sensor.
For both arrays, the ROIC output is an analog signal representing the response of the array elements to arriving thermal images. These signals must be corrected for the ambient temperature of the detector and for nonuniformities in array response.
These corrections are most easily performed in the dark digitally, so the outputs of the ROIC must be digitized, an operation that takes place on circuitry outside the ROIC, and the camera must include a mechanical shutter that can be periodically closed for acquisition of calibration data.
Fortunately, an explanation of how current sensors are built suggests some relatively straightforward approaches to SWaP-C improvement, but why have they not been implemented? Simple answer: Producing semiconductor devices cost-effectively requires producing them at volume – not thousands or even hundreds of thousands, but millions or more. The existing markets were not nearly large enough to support the costs of custom sensor development or to absorb the quantities of sensors that would be produced.
Early in 2024, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration came to the rescue when it issued a new rule which (starting in 2029) requires effective day and night pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB) systems on all light vehicles. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that these systems will require thermal imaging to operate effectively at night or in situations compromised by rain or fog, so the justification for investing in SWaP-C improvements has become clear.
Here are the steps to be taken:
› Eliminate the need to bond two devices
› Provide an ROIC with a digital output
› Develop a shutterless method of calibrating the camera
› Reduce the need for auxiliary devices
› Meet the performance requirements for PAEB systems
Removing the technology constraints enables well-developed assembly processes to be applied to the production of thermal sensors. The most beneficial of these is the process set that enables design of fine-line, high-speed digital integrated circuits that comply with the -40 °C to +125 °C automotive operating temperature requirement that readily transfers to defense equipment.
A novel ROIC is now available that integrates a sigma-delta analog to digital converter (ADC) for each pixel which accepts both offset and gain non-uniformity correction (NUC) data. Because these cor-
rections are applied during the digitizing process, the ROIC can supply 18 bits of corrected data per pixel at up to 120 Hz frame rates.
The correction data includes factory measurements of the sensitivity of individual microbolometer pixels taken over the entire operating temperature range, calibration data from the camera lens, and real-time temperature maps of the sensor substrate to assure that the proper correction is continuously applied without the need to interrupt the image flow with an external mechanical shutter.
Filling the ROIC with a pixel-sized array of ADCs reduces the necessary circuitry on the chip outside the active pixel area. The result, as shown in Figure 2, is that an ROIC area that formerly supported a VGA (640 by 480) array can now provide the 1280 by 800 resolution needed in the automotive industry. Further, the elimination of the surrounding circuitry permits the ROIC to be configured so that the microbolometer pixel array can be grown on its surface rather than bonded as a separate wafer, offering a substantial reduction in cost and improvements in yield and reliability.
With a sensor like this, thermal cameras become suitable for deployment in small uncrewed systems with confidence that, if the craft is downed, camera repurposing is not possible.
Building a camera using such a sensor, as seen in the example shown in Figure 3, requires adding only power-conditioning circuitry and an interface chip. Because the ROIC has an internal controller, the sensor can be configured to refuse to operate until an enabling code is received. There is no enabling pin which might be discovered by an adversary, vastly improving the security required for use in military devices.
With a sensor like this, thermal cameras become suitable for deployment in small uncrewed systems with confidence that, if the craft is downed, camera repurposing is not possible. The SWaP-C improvements facilitate deployment in sights, security perimeters, vehicles, and even projectiles, thereby providing improved situational awareness to the warfighter. MES
Wade Appelman (Chief
Business Officer
at Owl AI) has held key leadership roles in both private and public-sector organizations. Wade helped launch SensL, a leader in single-photon detection used in LiDAR and medical imaging (acquired by ON Semi in May 2018). Subsequently, as VP and GM of ON Semiconductor’s depth sensing division, Wade led the team developing low-light sensors for early customers executing designs in automotive, medical, and industrial markets.
Owl Autonomous Imaging https://www.owlai.us/
LCR products enable the fullest capabilities of the best aspects of VPX and SOSA aligned system architectures. Integrated systems, chassis, backplanes and development platforms that help streamline the journey from early development to deployment.
L ook to LCR to realize what’s possible in demanding environments across a wide range of defense applications.
Low-power electronics for UAS
By Qui Luu
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satcom services promise worldwide coverage on the ground, at sea, and in flight, reaching rural and remote regions, as well as supporting disaster zones where ground-based networks might be disabled. LEO constellation systems can substantially reduce launch and equipment costs, cut latency by 20 times compared with geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) links, and manage bandwidth and users more efficiently. In order for this vision to be realized, electronically steered arrays at both ends of the link become essential to support the continuous, independent, fast scanning of multiple beams and the regular handoffs as satellites come in and out of view. The payload is a particular challenge because it operates in a powerlimited environment when DC power dissipation is critical. One solution: a family of multibeam beamforming integrated circuits (ICs) that support a high level of functionality such as multibeam capability, beam-hopping, beam memory, and the ability to scale the number of beams to support any mission requirement.
The appetite for ubiquitous high-data-rate terrestrial connectivity has stimulated huge investment in low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation systems. LEO substantially reduces launch and equipment costs, cuts latency by 20 times compared with geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) links, and manages bandwidth and users more efficiently. LEO satcom services promise worldwide terrestrial, ocean, and aerial coverage that can reach even rural and remote regions, as well as giving support in disaster zones
where ground-based networks could be destroyed or inoperable.
Most common satellite communications were originally based on geostationary satellites (GEO) where only three satellites
were required for global coverage. These are large satellites (> 1,000 kg, approximately 2,200 pounds) where typically a single satellite would be on a launch vehicle. While this type of deployment was beneficial for broadcast applications such as television and radio, there were limitations. One is the latency involved in communications simply by the great distance between the user and the satellite. Typical GEO orbits are near 36,000 km (22,370 miles), which has an approximate end-to-end latency of 400 ms, approximately 10 times higher than point-to-point fiber optics connections in the U.S 1. Secondly, while the GEO satellite covers much of the earth, it cannot effectively cover the northern or southern poles of the earth. As an example, Inmarsat’s Global Xpress GEO satellites cover to approximately +/-75 degrees off the equator2
In order to create true global coverage, smaller (<500 kg, approximately 1,100 pounds) LEO satellites are being deployed with inclined orbits to cover both major and rural population areas and polar orbits to cover the poles. These constellations vary from several hundred to several thousand satellites, all of which require beamforming antennas since they are traveling around the earth at 27,000 km/hour (16,777 mph) at 600 km to 1,200 km (373 mile to 746 mile) orbit altitudes. These stats translate to the end-to-end latency reducing to approximately 50 ms. Many satellites are in a single launch vehicle for each deployment, so size and weight of these LEO satellites is critical.
In addition, these satellites were developed to provide high-speed data to the user so using the proper frequency plan is important. Traditionally Ku-band (10.7 GHz to 12.7 GHz downlink/13.75 GHz to 14.5 GHz uplink) had been used; however there is a drive to higher frequencies that have wider bandwidths and can support a higher data rate. K-/Ka-band is being actively leveraged (17.7 GHz to 21.2 GHz downlink/ 27.5 GHz to 31.5 GHz uplink) and many are investigating Q/V bands as the next frequency band (37.5 GHz to 42.5 GHz downlink/47.2 GHz to 51.4 GHz uplink).
These higher frequencies pose new challenges in the design and realization of a payload phased-array antenna. As the frequency increases, the lattice pitch of the antenna elements decreases, minimizing the available board space. Traditionally a discrete approach may have been possible using transmission lines for time delays, beamsteering using phase shifters/digital step attenuators or vector modulators, and embedding Wilkinson splitters/combiners in the printed circuit board (PCB) itself. However, at these higher frequency bands, PCB area is a significant challenge, which is driving the need for higher integration for ease of design and manufacturability. Additionally, the need for multibeam arrays drives additional complexity.
Beamforming ICs define electronically steerable phased arrays (ESA) and serve as the most critical building block. Interwoven in between the beamforming ICs are a power combiner and splitters, which distribute the signals to every beamforming IC. It is the combination of the beamforming IC, power combiner/splitter, and the fabric that weaves these two components together in a PCB design that determines the performance of the ESA.
Beamforming integrated chip
To maximize data rate, high-throughput satellites (HTS) use multiple spot beams to distribute data effectively. Typical payloads in HTS satellites use multiple beams, which can be steered and hop to maximize spatial and frequency reuse. Beam steering is accomplished by changing the phase of the beam as well as the amplitude at each element of the phased-array antenna. To determine the number of variable amplitude and phase (VAP) devices that are required, multiply the number of beams for the satellite with the number of elements for the antenna and the product is the required number of VAPs.
As an example, for a configuration of 576 elements and 16 beams the number of VAPS are 9,216 per array. If one considers using a discrete vector modulator as the VAP, which typically is 3 mm by
3 mm and consumes approx. 0.5 W, that will yield a dimension of 0.27 m (10.63 inches) by 0.27 m consuming over 4 kW of DC power. To put this into perspective, a 576-element array at 30 GHz with half wavelength spacing is 0.113 m (4.45 inches) by 0.113 m. As this illustrates, a higher level of integration is required for higher frequency phased array payload solutions, as well as a solution with minimal power consumption.
To solve this problem Analog Devices leveraged the design of highly integrated beamformer ICs. These beamforming ICs are targeted for K/Ka-band satellite payload applications. These devices are a four-beam/four-element configuration that include 16 VAP channels. The size of the resultant beamformer is 7 x 12.5 mm, which is a fraction of the array size if using a vector modulator approach. Additionally, to drive down power consumption the VAP channels use passive structures. The VAP is constructed of a digital step attenuator (DSA) and digital time delay unit. This design creates a 4 beam/16 channel beamformer that draws less than 200 mW of DC power. Figure 1 shows a block diagram. These devices are designed on a semiconductor process that supports space missions and can be used for LEO/MEO/ GEO applications. The beamformers have passed radiation levels of 100 krad TID and 80 MeV SEE.
Scalability – higher beam count
Not all payload antennas are solely 4 beam designs. Higher beam count is required based on the constellation and
mission. Beam count is often in multiples of 4 so being able to scale a solution from 4 beams to 8, 16, or 32 beams is critical. ADI’s beamformers can easily be scaled to address higher beam count as well as varying element count. See Figure 2 for an example of a 16-beam/16-element array.
Figure 2 leverages a blade construction where each blade consists of 4-beam beamforming ICs. For this example, we will look at the transmit antenna, but one can reverse this to support the receive antenna using the appropriate receive beamforming IC.
Each blade supports four elements. To support 16 elements, four blades are needed. Each beam would need to be present at each blade so each beam would need to be split 4 ways and then routed to each blade. Beams 0-3 would then drive one of the beamforming ICs, beams 4-7 the second, beams 8-11, the third and last beams 12-15
driving the fourth beamforming IC. The output of each beamforming IC would represent elements 0-3 on the array with each beamformer weighting each beam appropriately for the given position of the element in the array. Since each beamforming IC is outputting the beams for elements 0-3, the outputs would then need to be combined to ensure all 16 beams are present at each element. The same is true for elements 1, 2, and 3. Prior to driving the elements the designer should select the appropriate power amplifier (PA) to support the antenna’s EIRP and tapering requirements.
This construction can easily scale to support more or fewer beams and elements; increasing the number of tiles will easily support more elements. Adding or reducing the number of beamforming ICs enables the designer to adjust to the number of beams required.
In addition to size and power, digital control and functionality are important in the effort to minimize size, weight, and power (SWaP) in the payload. Requirements such as beam-hopping need to be performed easily and quickly. In order to support beam control as close to the elements as possible, a sophisticated digital section is integrated into the beamformer IC. It is worth noting that each device has four address lines, so a single SPI bus can communicate with up to 16 beamformers, which minimizes the number of SPI lines and simplifies the array design. Each beam is independently controlled and has its own memory.
The RAM and FIFO have their own sequencer state machines that increment though the beam states that are stored within. (Figure 3.) The RAM can store as many as 64 beam states and the FIFO can store as many as 16 beam states.
These features help support beamhopping and raster scanning of the antenna. When using the RAM with the sequencer, 64 beam states per beam can be programmed in. Using the sequencer, the beam states can then be loaded in
any prescribed sequence that is required. Similarly, in using the FIFO, once the beam states are loaded, the beam states can then be loaded in FIFO order.
Note that when using the internal memory, beam updates are very fast. Single VAP response time is < 10 ns and update-to-update minimum timing is < 50 ns.
As previously mentioned, the beamformer IC’s design and higher levels of integration within a package offer substantial SWaP advantages. Likewise, the design decision of the power combiner/ splitter interlaced between the beamformer ICs will need to be optimized for SWaP tradeoffs. Since the power combiner/splitters face the same design challenges, as in minimal PCB area due to tight lattice spacing constraints, small size and optimized PCB routing are key for system performance and signal integrity.
First, the power combiner/splitter for phased arrays is passive. Thermal management for an active phased array is a difficult engineering challenge given the very small size and form factor and the high-power handling capabilities. For this reason, the combiner/ splitter is passive in order not to further burden the thermal requirements of the phased array.
Important performance characteristics to consider for combiners/splitters are
frequency bandwidth coverage, port matching, isolation, minimal parasitic losses, and power handling. Achieving matched ports maintains symmetry where the input power splits evenly across all output ports and the phase difference between the output ports is kept to a minimum. Additionally, the input and output ports maintain a well-defined characteristic impedance.
The most common power combiner/splitter architecture used in phased-array systems is the Wilkinson design. When all the ports are well matched, the Wilkinson divider offers the benefits of minimal loss, achieves high isolation between output ports, and is reciprocal. Wilkinson designs are commonly implemented directly on the PCB with microstrip and/or stripline. Alternatively, for improved SWaP benefits, monolithic silicon-based Wilkinson designs prove quite advantageous in conserving PCB area, ease of routing, and improved signal integrity.
A silicon-based 1-to-4 Wilkinson power splitter is designed for space-sensitive microwave signal distribution applications. The excess insertion loss ranges from -1.5 dB to -2.5 dB from 17 GHz to 32 GHz. The four outputs are matched in both phase and amplitude, making this device ideal for signal distribution applications requiring low time skew between channels. It can also be used as a combiner. The IC is housed in a compact, 2.5 mm (0.099 inch) by 2.5 mm by 0.5 mm WLCSP [wafer-level chipscale package], which aims it at use in planar, phasedarray antenna systems that require a tight pitch between elements. Similarly, a 1-to-2 Wilkinson power splitter is housed in a 1.5 mm (0.06 inch) by 1.5 mm by 0.5 mm WLCSP package.
The silicon-based Wilkinson power splitter offers substantial PCB area and cost savings over traditional Wilkinson power divider implementations utilizing a microstrip design on PCB. This is especially true at Ka-band frequencies where the lattice spacing for a phasedarray design must be less than 5 mm at 31 GHz to prevent grating lobes. This lattice pitch must be shared between the beamforming IC and the combiner/ splitters within an optimized layout structure.
Figure 5 | PCB microstrip layout of the 1:2 modified Wilkinson power divider as shown in D. Antsos’s paper, “A Novel Wilkinson Power Divider with Predictable Performance at K- and Ka-band,” 3. Dimensions in mm.
For example, for airborne SATCOM terminals at Ka-band where the form factor of the complete phased-array system is planar or two-dimensional, the patch antennas reside on one side of the PCB and the beamforming IC and Wilkinson power dividers share the opposite side of the same PCB. Figure 4 shows the routing of a Ka-band beamforming IC laid out in conjunction with a silicon-based Wilkinson 1:4 splitter for applications requiring a two-dimensional planar design. The layout is optimized and efficient where the high-frequency traces are localized to the surface layer and the traces are direct, matched, and the shortest path from the device to the beamforming IC. Isolating the high-frequency traces to the surface layer of the PCB allows for more controlled impedances of the traces and minimizes parasitic losses.
A microstrip design at Ka-band requires substantially more PCB area. Figure 5 shows the layout of a 1:2 microstrip modified Wilkinson power divider on a Rogers substrate at K- and Ka-bands3. Figure 6 shows the required footprint for a silicon-based Wilkinson splitter, which is substantially smaller in PCB area than the microstrip design. The footprint of the 1-to-2 Wilkinson power divider is in a 1.5 mm by 1.5 mm package and the 1-to-4 is in a 2.5 mm by 2.5 mm package. Only the form factor fits within the lattice spacing for Ka-band frequencies up to 31 GHz.
Additionally, the performance of the Wilkinson power divider design is heavily dependent on the matching of the ports. The matching of the ports can only be as good as the tolerances of the manufacturing process of the PCB. Silicon tolerances are tighter and allow for smaller geometries.
To further improve and facilitate system design of a phased array utilizing a corporate feed network, a multipurpose, highly integrated time delay IC provides extended time delay and amplitude control in a single channel, low-power, and miniaturized package. Given these features, it is an ideal component to distribute about in a design to add slight adjustments in delay due to mismatches or to add additional delay compensation as needed for a true time delay phased array where the delay is inefficient to cover the bandwidth.
The highly integrated time delay IC is a low-power broadband, bidirectional, single-channel, true-time delay unit (TDU) and a digital step attenuator (DSA). The frequency coverage of the device extends from 500 MHz to 19 GHz with 50 Ω input impedance at both RF ports. The TDU has two programmable maximum time delays, each with seven-bit control.
Range 0 has a maximum delay of 508 ps with a resolution of 4 ps. For lowfrequency operation, Range 0 would be selected since more time delay is available for a full 360° phase coverage. Range 1 has a maximum delay of 254 ps and a resolution of 2 ps. This range has less insertion loss compared to Range 0 and is more suited for high-frequency operation since the delay range is narrow with finer controls of the step size. The DSA has six-bit resolution with an attenuation range of 0 dB to 31.5 dB and a step size of 0.5 dB. (Figure 7.)
Regarding the SWaP advantages of the multipurpose time delay IC, the power savings is quite substantial since the core building blocks of the device are passive. The TDU and DSA are passive while the digital is the only block that consumes power. That said, this device is designed to provide flexible digital control through either a serial port interface (SPI) or a shift register. The shift register enables daisy-chaining of multiple chips. The IC contains register memory for 32 TDU and DSA states. The memory combined with on-chip sequencers allows for fast bidirectional memory advance via the UPDATE pin. These digital features prove advantageous for ease of use and fast beam-hopping. The power consumption for such an IC consumes a total of 1 mW with 1.2 V and 1.0 V dual supplies.
The multipurpose time delay IC is packaged in a small 2 mm by 3 mm (0.08 inch by 0.12 inch) LFCSP package.
The time delay range available in such a small package is unusual given all the potential use cases for this component. It can be placed strategically in a design to compensate for PCB length or delay tuning; for very large phased arrays, it
Figure 7 | A multipurpose, highly integrated time delay block diagram and package outline: A 14-lead lead frame chipscale package [LFCSP] 3 mm by 2 mm (0.12 inch by 0.08 inch) body and 0.75 mm (0.029 inch) package height. (CP-14-6). Dimensions shown in millimeters.
is difficult to length-match all the signal traces on the PCB. For this reason, delay tuning may be required. The goal is to set the lengths of signal traces in a matched group of nets to the same length value, thereby ensuring that all signals arrive within some constrained timing mismatch. The most common approach to achieving synchronization of the signal traces is to add delay to the shorter signal trace by adding some trace meandering such as trombone, sawtooth, or accordion. Trace meandering comes at the expense of PCB area and design time since a unique trace is required for a specific time delay. To put this into perspective, for a high-frequency board material such as Isola Astra MT77 or Rogers 3003, where the dielectric constant is 3.0, approximately 3.5 inches of stripline or 4 inches of microstrip is required to achieve 508 ps of delay.
Traditional discrete approaches to the design of phased-array antennas for satellite payloads are not SWaP-optimized. GEO satellites are large satellites where a single satellite resides on a launch vehicle; in contrast, today’s LEO constellations require many satellites to be deployed on a single launch vehicle, forcing reduction in size and weight. In addition, increased data throughput is forcing satellite communication bands from Ku-band to K-/Ka-band and higher forcing the antenna array to be reduced in size. Advances in silicon-based ICs have added higher levels of integration, functionality, and lower DC power consumption, which make for smaller, thinner, and lighter antenna apertures to support Ku-band frequencies and higher to address the SWaP challenges of today’s satellites. MES
References
1 “Satellite Communications in the Global Internet: Issues, Pitfalls and Potential”; Yongguan Zhang, Dante De Lucia, Bo Ryu, Son K. Dao Hughes Research Laboratories.
2 Inmarsat Global Xpress coverage map, https://www.inmarsat.com/en/about/technology/ satellites.html
3 D. Antsos, R. Crist and L. Sukamto, “A Novel Wilkinson Power Divider with Predictable Performance at K and Ka-band,” IEEE MTT-S Digest, pp.907-910, 1994.
Qui Luu has been with Analog Devices since 2000, where she is currently a principal RF/microwave system engineer. Luu’s focus area has recently been in the area of beamforming ICs and system development from the antenna to bits for electronically steerable phased arrays. She earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University.
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) https://www.analog.com/
MOSA solutions for unmanned systems: SBCs, RTOS, connectors, backplanes, etc.
Group 3 unmanned aerial systems (UASs) basically represent the sweet spot for attritable UAS platforms due to their combination of relatively low cost and generous maximum takeoff weight. In photo: U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, recover an RQ-21A Blackjack aircraft. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ruben Padilla.
By Jason DeChiaro
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is investing heavily in airborne attritable systems as a cost-effective approach to project force and influence. The DoD’s directive to use modular open systems approach (MOSA)-based solutions positions commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component vendors to meet the form factor, weight, and cost limit requirements of airborne drones uncrewed aerial systems (UASs). This move toward lower-cost and more easily replaced uncrewed systems opens up new opportunities for suppliers of COTS components.
Traditionally, the U.S. battlefield arsenal has included expendable items such as missiles, along with expensive sophisticated manned platforms like fighter jets. Expendable systems are designed and intended to be used once, without the expectation or need for retrieval. For sophisticated manned platforms, such as tanks and fighter jets, however, retrieval is critical due to the monetary cost or mission sensitivity as well as their role in troop safety.
Recently, a third category known as “attritable systems” has emerged, which sits between these two extremes. Attritable systems are intended to go out, perform their mission, and return. The key difference between sophisticated manned platforms and attritable systems is that attritable systems accomplish their mission at a much lower cost so that failure to return will not have a significant overall impact, making it more acceptable if an individual system is lost. Because of their lower cost – compared to the tens of millions of dollars posed by sophisticated platforms such as an F-35 – attritable systems can be built in far greater quantities. While attritable
equipment is not actually meant to be expendable, when compared to sophisticated manned systems, a higher rate of loss may be deemed acceptable by the commander.
Because of their lower cost – compared to the tens of millions of dollars posed by sophisticated platforms such as an F-35 – attritable systems can be built in far greater quantities.
In today’s arsenal, certain categories of uncrewed systems are often designed to be attritable. Airborne systems provide the best-defined classes of these platforms, driven by the fact that they need to share civilian airspace. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) interest in attritable systems has grown substantially in recent years as new technology has becomes available. While it’s possible to buy a small, low-cost uncrewed aerial system (UAS) at a big-box consumer store, it must operate within the rules of the FAA, which classifies UASs into five distinct groups.
Where attritable applications fit into the various airborne UAS groups is not a hard-and-fast rule, but the sweet spot seems to be around Group 3: For example, if a Group 5 Global Hawk was downed, fairly extensive efforts would likely be taken to retrieve it because of the sophisticated sensors and potential sensitive data the aircraft carries. In contrast, an inexpensive Group 1 UAS is almost never worth retrieving, especially if doing so would risk a soldier’s life. In terms of re-use, an expendable system is expected to be used only once, an attritable system might be used from one to hundreds of times, and a sophisticated system used many times for years.
Group 1 airborne UASs are typically inexpensive, small, and hand-held. In a
warfighter scenario, a Group 1 craft might be carried by a soldier who can send it into a building to look around corners and doors using an onboard camera to help identify the presence of an adversary without putting a warfighter at risk. Examples of such platforms include RQ-28A, RQ-11 Raven, WASP, and Puma.
Group 2 drones are typically built for low altitude and longer endurance and can fly as high as 3,500 feet. Missions may last for an hour or two, compared with maybe 20-30 minutes for a Group 1 UAS. With Group 2, the possible payload weight starts to go up as well: Where a Group 1 craft might be able to carry 5 pounds of payload, a Group 2 UAS may be able to carry twice that. Examples of Group 2 platforms include ScanEagle, Flexrotor, SIC5, and PDW C100.
Group 3 uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) are intended for medium-altitude, longendurance missions. This category of craft can have a maximum takeoff weight as much as 1,320 pounds. Group 3 UASs basically represent the sweet spot for attritable UAS platforms due to their combination of relatively low cost and generous maximum takeoff weight. Examples include Shield AI, V-BAT, RQ-7B Shadow, RQ-21 Blackjack, Arcturus-UAV Jump 20, Navmar RQ-23 Tigershark, SIC25, and Vanilla Unmanned.
Group 4 and Group 5 craft will typically have a maximum takeoff weight greater than 1,320 pounds, with Group 4 UASs sometimes equipped to carry a missile and Group 5
increasing survivability on the battlefield. Image courtesy Curtiss-Wright/Kratos.
MOSA solutions for unmanned systems: SBCs, RTOS, connectors, backplanes, etc.
systems intended for use in both for reconnaissance missions and strike. Examples of Group 4 include MQ-8B Fire Scout, the MQ-1A/B Predator, and MQ-1C Gray Eagle; examples of Group 5 UASs include MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-4C Triton. (Figure 1.)
Group 1 and Group 2 UASs are more likely to be fielded by the U.S. Army, while Group 3, Group 4, and Group 5 are more likely to be seen in Air Force operations.
There are a number of open standards that have been adopted for the design and implementation of UASs. These standards include Mod-pay (Special Operations modular payload design standard); the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard; Vehicle Integration for C4ISR/EW Interoperability (VICTORY); the Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, Technical Standard; GRA, Big Iron, COBRA, Modular Open RF Architecture (MORA), MICORPS, and Weapons Open Systems Architecture (WOSA). The DoD’s directive to use modular open systems approach (MOSA)-based solutions positions commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component vendors to meet the formfactor, weight, and cost-limit requirements of airborne drones from Group 2 to Group 5. The Group 3 systems – the attritable UASs with the best combination of relatively low cost and generous maximum takeoff weight – fall squarely into this group.
Fielding of attritable systems is not far away, as several are being actively developed now. Examples of existing programs for attritable airborne systems include the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Loyal Wingman program. For CCA, the Air Force is working under what it calls a “planning assumption” of the need for 1,000 CCA systems initially and anticipates ordering more than 100 CCAs for Increment 1 in the next five years. (Figure 2.)
Other examples: General Atomics flew its unmanned XQ-67A CCA platform for the first time in February 2024 and began production of the aircraft a few
Figure 3 | Curtiss-Wright Parvus DuraCOR 313 is an example of a rugged COTS processor based on MOSA, aimed at use in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C)-sensitive manned and unmanned vehicles.
months later. In January 2025, Anduril announced its plans to establish a new factory in Columbus, Ohio, to manufacture its Fury attritable UAS, which is intended to use Anduril’s Lattice software. Also in January 2025, the Air Force held the first test of CCA piloted-drone teaming capabilities with an F-35, during which Lockheed Martin and industry partners demonstrated what the Air Force termed “end-to-end connectivity including the seamless integration of AI technologies to control a drone in flight leveraging the same hardware and software architectures built for future F-35 flight testing.”
The DoD has already awarded 30 contracts so far for attritable UAS solutions under its Replicator initiative through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Blue UAS. The Blue UAS program, which was stood up in 2020, is described by DIU as “a holistic and continuous approach that rapidly vets and scales commercial unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology for the Department of Defense.”
The U.S. Army and Navy are also developing unmanned attritable solutions for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). As with UAS platforms, size, weight, and mission type influences where the concept of “attritableness” best fits for the various categories of each of these platforms.
COTS vendors can support the development of attritable systems with MOSA-based solutions that combine the ruggedness and reliability needed
to support UAS re-use with the form factor and cost-effectiveness requirements that attritable unmanned platforms require. (Figure 3.) MES
Jason DeChiaro is a system architect at Curtiss-Wright whose responsibilities include supporting customers in architecting deployable VPX systems including CMOSS/SOSA compliant designs. Jason has more than 15 years of experience in the defense industry supporting the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy and the IC community. He received his electrical engineering degree, with distinction, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions • https://www.curtisswrightds.com/
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MOSA solutions for unmanned systems: SBCs, RTOS, connectors, backplanes, etc.
Technical solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and sensor fusion are being integrated into unmanned systems throughout the larger defense communication infrastructure – including in the CJADC2 initiative – to help the warfighter achieve decision superiority. Aitech image.
By Timothy Stewart
Unmanned systems are now cheaper, more capable, and more accessible to state and non-state actors, which creates an asymmetric threat that traditional defense systems struggle to counter. Understanding the vehicle dynamics in these applications means evaluating the complex behaviors exhibited by autonomous or semi-autonomous entities, which require significant coordination alongside other equipment and infrastructure, moving everything toward a common objective.
Technical solutions, such as artificial intelligence (AI), time-sensitive networking (TSN), and sensor fusion are being integrated into unmanned systems throughout the larger defense communication infrastructure to help the warfighter achieve decision superiority.
These technologies are instrumental to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) initiative, which aims to strengthen interoperability and collaboration among U.S. forces and their international allies by fostering cooperation, intelligence-sharing, and integration of capabilities across multiple domains for unified command and control in joint operations.
Autonomous systems in strategic military engagement
To establish an effective defense that leverages autonomous or semi-autonomous so-called smart systems, three core problems must be addressed: real-time decision synchronization, trust and explainability of AI-driven countermeasures, and interoperability across diverse defense systems. Synchronizing human and machine decision-making ensures swift and coordinated responses to dynamic threats. AI-driven countermeasures must be understandable and trusted so operators can confidently act on machinegenerated insights.
Multiple autonomous systems must also function as a cohesive force. Future integrations will include unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), aerial drones, robotic support assets, and AI-enhanced firecontrol systems, all operating alongside human forces. AI-driven mission orchestration platforms dynamically synchronize sensor feeds, threat assessments, and engagement plans across all assets in the formation.
AI, TSN, and sensor fusion help create an interoperable defense network with seamless integration of diverse detection and mitigation assets, strengthening layered defense strategies. Transitioning from the conceptual understanding of collaborative defense operations within CJADC2 to actual implementation means
examining the pivotal role of these specific technologies to enable effective crossdomain solutions.
A well-integrated defense network functions as a single, adaptive entity, enabling commanders to deploy cohesive, multilayered countermeasures at machine speed. AI is an essential component of unmanned defense operations, providing automated threat assessments, engagement recommendations, and autonomous countermeasures.
A clear, explainable AI framework – which includes an extensive simulation-based training element using mission-relevant data – ensures that operators can quickly validate AI-driven recommendations. Although not a standalone decision-maker, AI is critical as an intelligent assistant that enhances human warfighters’ speed, precision, and effectiveness in countering threats to improve engagement response while maintaining accountability and oversight.
By leveraging AI algorithms and machine learning (ML) techniques, military forces can enhance their ability to detect, analyze, and respond to threats in real time, thereby enabling autonomous systems to coordinate the actions of multiple agents and optimize actions for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. AI algorithms can also assist in predictive analytics, forecasting adversaries’ behavior and trends based on historical data and current observations.
For example, by integrating AI technologies into C5ISR [command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] systems, military commanders can gain real-time insights into swarm dynamics. These AI-powered swarm-management systems facilitate rapid decision-making and response coordination, enhancing situational awareness across all domains for both deployment and engagement. (Figure 1.)
TSN is particularly important for enabling real-time coordination in CJADC2 operations. TSN protocols prioritize data transmission, ensuring the low-latency communication that is crucial for rapid decision-making and response coordination.
Because it is scalable, TSN enables military forces to adapt their communication networks to the demands of evolving adversarial environments. Military commanders can then dynamically allocate bandwidth and resources to prioritize critical data transmissions, ensuring that essential information reaches decision-makers in real time.
Additionally, TSN supports interoperability between disparate systems and platforms, facilitating seamless integration of sensors, autonomous systems, and command-andcontrol systems across multiple domains. As military operations become increasingly interconnected, adopting TSN protocols becomes imperative for maintaining operational tempo and achieving mission success within the CJADC2 framework.
When aligned with AI-driven support systems, TSN can be leveraged to optimize the transmission of high-value data content over limited-capacity tactical communication
links. It ensures essential information is sent so that the data reaches its destination within the specified timeframe, even in bandwidth-constrained and contested environments.
The synergy between TSN and AI-driven support systems empowers military commanders with enhanced situational awareness and decision-making capabilities, ultimately optimizing the effectiveness of military engagements, while minimizing risks to personnel and assets on the battlefield through the use of unmanned and other platforms. (Figure 2.)
Sensor fusion and data integration for holistic intelligence
There is no question that sensor fusion and data integration are critical pillars of today’s military capabilities. These technologies enable military forces to synthesize data by aggregating and seamlessly sharing standardized data and communication protocols from disparate sources, ranging from traditional radar and EO/IR [electro-optical/ infrared] sensors to advanced cyber sensors and signals-intelligence platforms.
By combining sensor data with other intelligence sources, such as human intelligence and open-source information, data integration gives military commanders a more holistic understanding of the operational landscape. The ability to rapidly share this critical information in real time plus enhanced decisionmaking through synergistic system communication are crucial tactical objectives for joint operations in both manned and unmanned situations.
A good example is a wet gap crossing, one of the most complex ground-based scenarios, which can use unmanned or optionally manned systems. Data needs to be secured and transmitted across tactical networks to synchronize reconnaissance and security, maneuver, fires, logistics, and other warfighting functions. (Figure 3.)
Sensor fusion and data integration also enable targeted resource allocation by consolidating data from multiple sensors and intelligence sources. Military
forces can prioritize strategic actions based on the perceived threat, enabling them to deploy resources where they are most needed, maximize operational impact, and minimize risks.
Placing ruggedized AI supercomputers close to the sensors (e.g., high-resolution cameras, IR detectors) helps resolve challenges in military-vehicle electronics, which ultimately benefits the warfighter.
A dominant COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] solution for AI at-the-edge (AIAE) processing is a general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU), bringing to the market
small-form-factor, higher-performance rugged supercomputers, which combine GPGPUs with CPUs and suited for AIAE applications.
GPGPUs – which are widely used to accelerate a growing number of AI applications – can handle large amounts of data in parallel, making them ideal for performing certain computations much faster than traditional CPUs.
NVIDIA Jetson family has proven to be a highly capable system-on-module (SoM) architecture for military AI-based supercomputers, with a combination of AIcapable GPGPUs and multicore CPUs that creates a tightly coupled, highperformance, low-power system.
For example, the NVIDIA Jetson Orinbased A230 Vortex from Aitech optimizes the full performance of NVIDA’s Ampere GPU, providing up to 2,048 CUDA cores and 64 Tensor cores that reach as many as 275 TOPS [tera operations per second]. This level of energy efficiency increases performance across all key processing metrics: AI, GPU, CPU, and memory. (Figure 4.)
AIAE increases strategic capabilities
With deployment of compact, rugged AI-based supercomputers that are capable of performing extremely high rates of data processing, unmanned systems are then able to provide enhanced capabilities in the field, such as object recognition and classification, target recognition and acquisition, terrain analysis, and similar tasks. The warfighter benefits from that extended set of AI-enabled strategic capabilities.
All data between AIAE boxes and other so-called smart boxes in the system is moved via industry-standard Ethernet interfaces for seamless systems integration and operability. To meet scalability requirements, additional sensors and AIAE boxes can be added if the vehicle provides wiring for a few additional Ethernet ports, making the integration of new mission equipment packages easier and faster.
By eliminating the need for long, expensive, high-speed data cables between sensors to the mission computers, AIAE systems increase reliability, availability, and maintainability by reducing wiring complexity. Notably, these agile systems make military vehicles more available, reliable, and easier to maintain by reducing the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of electronics systems as they eliminate the need for large mission computers and heavy wiring harnesses.
Small & Modular with Speeds up to 25Gbps
4 points-of-contact will withstand a very rough ride
High-density, configurable in 1-5 bays
Interchangeable molded signal & SMPM RF insulator bays
Tested & qualified based on MIL-DTL-83513 performance requirements
Discrete wire, SMPM RF, & Twinax cable variations MOSA
Improve intelligence across multiple domains
When integrated AI algorithms become part of this defense fabric, autonomous systems can provide unparalleled adaptability and scalability to analyze vast amounts of sensor data in real time, enabling autonomous decision-making and adaptive responses to dynamic battlefield conditions. These systems enable a wider operational footprint by augmenting the capabilities of humanoperated platforms, extending reach and enhancing the effectiveness of military operations across all domains.
High-performance computing and resilient communication architectures support real-time decision synchronization. Edge computing solutions reduce reliance on centralized processing hubs, eliminating delays. Tactical networks must withstand electronic warfare interference, cyber threats, and degraded operating conditions. AI-enhanced networkmanagement systems detect disruptions, reroute data, and prioritize mission-critical transmissions to ensure decision loops remain intact.
Effective defense operations that utilize autonomous or semi-autonomous systems call for recognizing data as a strategic asset and then applying it an enterprisewide, holistic approach across multiple domains. Today’s rugged embedded technologies are helping ensure this cohesion among all available assets during a military operation for improved decision superiority. MES
Timothy Stewart is Director, Business Development, at Aitech. He has 20 years of experience in high-technology hardware, software, and network products, with 11 years as a relationship executive managing requirements and challenges of companies seeking partnerships and critical corporate development. Tim holds a BS in mechanical engineering and physics from Boston University.
• https://aitechsystems.com/
The modern battlespace is becoming more distributed, more mobile, and more lethal. As near-peer adversaries continue to develop and deploy advanced electronic warfare capabilities, the ability for unmanned systems operators to execute their mission, communicate, and share data to achieve decision dominance in contested environments is mission-critical.
In response to this rapidly-advancing tactical landscape, Silvus Technologies recently unveiled the StreamCaster LITE 5200, its next-generation MANET radio OEM module designed for seamless integration into leading-edge unmanned systems. Silvus Technologies is a leading developer of advanced MANET and MIMO communications systems that is reshaping mesh network technology for missioncritical applications on the ground, in the air, and at sea. The StreamCaster family of MANET radios and proprietary MN-MIMO waveform are battle-proven and relied on by defense, law enforcement, and public safety agencies around the world.
The new StreamCaster LITE 5200 (SL5200) tackles a number of challenges faced by unmanned systems in the modern battlespace:
Powerful Performance: SL5200 unifies C2, sensor, and telemetry data with communications relay capabilities into one powerfully streamlined OEM module, with up to 2W output power (4W effective, thanks to TX Eigen-Beamforming) and up to 100 Mbps data rate.
Network Connectivity for Multi-Domain Operations: Powered by Silvus’ battleproven MN-MIMO waveform, the SL5200 is capable of linking hundreds of nodes across any operational environment.
Compact Size, Seamless Integration: With an ultra-low SWaP profile (52g) and versatile I/O interface options (Ethernet, USB, RS232), the SL5200 is purpose-built for integration into tactical unmanned systems – delivering Group 2 UAV level performance in a compact form factor engineered for Group 1 sized platforms.
“To fast-track enhanced capabilities to end-users, the SL5200 is designed for easy integration into a wide range of unmanned sub-systems, reducing development costs and speeding time to market for today’s leading-edge manufacturers,” explained Jimi Henderson, Vice President of Sales for Silvus Technologies.
At the heart of the SL5200 is Silvus’ proprietary MN-MIMO waveform, capable of linking hundreds of nodes in any operational environment. With the SL5200, operators can connect multiple UAVs, UGVs, USVs, sensors, personnel, and
manned/unmanned platforms, to actualize a common operating picture through one massively scalable mesh network. The SL5200 is seamlessly compatible with 4000series StreamCaster MANET radios, ensuring interoperability across a diverse range of applications.
In addition to AES256 and FIPS 140-3 encryption for secure operations, the SL5200 provides available access to Silvus’ Spectrum Dominance expansive suite of LPI/LPD and Anti-Jamming resiliency capabilities. As a licensable sofware extension of Silvus’ proprietary MN-MIMO waveform, Spectrum Dominance enables StreamCaster MANET radios to thrive in congested and contested electronic warfare (EW) environments without compromising performance, empowering operators to achieve their mission objectives even under electronic attack.
With a 60% smaller form factor size and 50% reduction in weight compared to its previous generation counterpart, the SL5200 delivers C2 and comms mesh networking at the tactical edge.
Learn more about the StreamCaster LITE 5200 at www.silvustechnologies.com.
The BlighterNexus from Blighter Surveillance Systems is an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted connectivity and processing hub designed to integrate Blighter’s ITAR-free 2D, 3D, and 4D electronicscanning radars into command-and-control (C2) systems. The system reduces operational complexity by automating setup, configuration, and radar adjustments, optimizing performance even under changing environmental conditions. It aggregates multiple radars into a single unified 360-degree radar feed, simplifying the challenge of managing multiple sensor inputs within a C2 environment. The system is equipped with a machine-learning-based target classifier, an integrated 3D tracker, and automation features to enhance target detection and tracking efficiency. Additionally, the hub supports encrypted multisensor connectivity and integrates low-latency inputs from auxiliary systems such as cameras and radio direction-finders for drone detection.
BlighterNexus operates on an industrial-grade computing platform pre-installed with proprietary software and offers a secure webbased interface for local or remote access. It supports multiple industry-standard interfaces, including XML, ASTERIX, SAPIENT, and a “fat pipe” TCP/IP stream for high-volume raw sensor data transfer. The system enables real-time recording and playback of sensor data for forensic analysis and integrates an aggregation module that consolidates data from multiple radar panels into seamless target plots. The platform is scalable and modular, enabling integrators to customize functionality through licensable modules for radar coordination, tracking, classification, and C2 interfacing. Running on a Windows-based system with future Linux compatibility planned, the hub is designed for deployment in fixed and mobile locations that need low-risk multisensor surveillance applications.
The EdgeGM 7000 from Viavi Solutions is an edge grandmaster clock – a clock used to enable stable and standard time information to other clocks across the network – that is designed to provide resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services for critical infrastructure. As part of a secure PNT system, the clock supports up to 25G precision time protocol (PTP) and integrates SecureTime altGNSS [global navigation satellite systems] technology, combining signals from multiple satellite constellations across medium Earth orbit (MEO), geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), and low Earth orbit (LEO). This multi-orbit capability enhances PNT resilience, mitigating risks from signal disruptions, jamming, spoofing, or satellite attacks. The EdgeGM 7000 is designed for applications in mission-critical defense, telecommunications, public safety, aviation, and energy sectors.
Housed in a compact, rack-mountable 1U chassis, the EdgeGM 7000 offers scalable software options, enabling users to upgrade from 1/10G to 25G PTP with a software license. It supports industry-specific PTP profiles and can activate an alternative GNSS backup source over the air. The system exceeds Level 4 PNT resiliency as defined by IEEE P1252 standards, providing highassurance synchronization even in contested environments and is a flexible and scalable architecture for modern infrastructure operators facing evolving threats to GPS and GNSS-based services.
The Vertasyn platform from Sev1Tech is a multi-agent generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital twin system designed to enhance operational efficiency, predictive analytics, and workforce training for mission-critical applications. Built on the MAGIE [multi-agent generative intelligence engine] framework, the system integrates live and historical data to create digital representations of real-world entities and processes, enabling advanced simulation and optimization. By leveraging AI-driven automation, no-code virtual reality streaming, and seamless integration with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and IT production systems, Vertasyn enables organizations to deploy digital twins rapidly and scale them efficiently.
The platform integrates several core components, including the company’s Digital Orchestrator, Digital Catalog, Intelligence Center, and Digital Thread, providing users with predictive analytics capabilities, maintenance cost reduction, and streamlined decision-making. The tool – with its ability to simulate and refine operational processes without requiring physical prototypes –supports commercial and defense applications that must rely on solutions having real-time adaptability and optimization.
The Personal Transport 5 (PT5) from Persistent Systems is a dual-function networking device designed to enhance the connectivity of dismounted warfighters by integrating 5G cellular and Wi-Fi 6e capabilities with the MPU5 MANET [mobile ad hoc network] system. The PT5 enables warfighters to securely traverse host-nation 5G cellular networks, maintaining global connectivity while operating in contested environments. It also supports Persistent’s Cloud Relay networking technology, ensuring continuous over-the-horizon communication. With two independent layers of encryption – namely Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) VPNs and Media Access Control Security (MACsec) – the PT5 enables secure data transmission over foreign cellular infrastructure, mitigating risks associated with electronic warfare and network vulnerabilities.
The PT5 also functions as a personal-area network, providing two Wi-Fi 6e access points that support connectivity for third-party devices such as sensors, cameras, and computers. Operating on multiple frequency bands, it ensures compatibility with legacy 2.4 GHz systems while optimizing performance for modern 5 GHz and 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6e devices. The wireless connectivity reduces reliance on physical cables, minimizing snag hazards and simplifying warfighter gear configurations. Compact and lightweight, the PT5 is designed to operate in demanding tactical environments as an additional communications pathway alongside MANET, cellular, and satellite-based networking solutions.
Persistent Systems | www.persistentsystems.com
The RTP5000 line of real-time peak USB power sensors from Maury Microwave is designed for RF power measurement applications spanning 50 MHz to 40 GHz. Available in 6 GHz, 18 GHz, and 40 GHz configurations, the sensors offer a dynamic range from -60 dBm to +20 dBm and an effective sample rate of 10 GS/sec, enabling highly precise peak and average power measurements. The sensors feature a proprietary technology called real-time power processing (RTPP), which is aimed at eliminating gaps in signal acquisition and measurement latency and ensuring the capture of every pulse and transient event. With a measurement rate of 100,000 readings/sec and a video bandwidth of up to 195 MHz, the sensors are intended for use in demanding RF and microwave applications, including radar-pulse modulation, satellite communications, power amplifier characterization, and Wi-Fi signal testing. The sensors support automatic pulse measurements, crest factor, complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) analysis, and multichannel synchronized measurements to enable extensive statistical and waveform analysis capabilities. Designed for high-speed operation, the sensors achieve rise times as low as 3 ns and can handle trigger frequencies up to 50 MHz with a minimum trigger width of 10 ns. Connectivity is provided through USB, while external TTL triggering enables flexible integration into test setups. The sensors are compatible across various modulation formats and gain, return loss, and pulse power measurements, which aim the sensors for use by RF engineers working in defense, aerospace, telecommunications, and scientific research.
Maury Microwave | boonton.com
The TDSW050A2T from Teledyne HiRel Semiconductors is a rad-tolerant, wideband single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) RF switch designed for defense and aerospace applications. Operating from DC to 50 GHz, the switch is built on a 150 nm pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) process, providing low insertion loss of -3 dB (typical) and isolation exceeding 40 dB up to 30 GHz. It achieves an input-power 1 dB compression point of 25 dBm and features switching times below 50 ns. The device operates on ±5V power supplies and utilizes TTL-compatible voltage levels for control, enabling seamless integration into high-frequency radar, satellite communications, and electronic warfare systems.
The TDSW050A2T – qualified to MIL-PRF-38534 Class K equivalency for space applications – is available in die form or a 2 mm (0.08 inch) by 2 mm chip-scale plastic flip-chip package. It offers robust performance in harsh environments, operating within an extended temperature range of -40 °C to 85 °C. With its wide frequency coverage, fast switching speed, and radiation tolerance up to 100 krad (Si), this RF switch is aimed at use in high-reliability systems requiring precise signal routing across mm-wave bands
Teledyne | www.teledynedefenseelectronics.com
By Thomas Mittermeier, ODU
When designing components for aerospace and defense systems, engineers must design not only for performance but also for reliability as many military applications fall under extreme environmental conditions. These conditions challenge the reliability, durability, and operational efficiency of equipment, necessitating innovative engineering approaches – especially with fiber-optic interconnect solutions that must withstand high demands in the field.
Typically, harsh environments involve extreme temperature fluctuations, which pose a significant challenge to equipment performance. High temperatures can degrade insulating materials and accelerate wear, while low temperatures may cause embrittlement and reduced conductivity. Ensuring that materials and designs maintain structural integrity and functionality across wide temperature ranges is critical.
Mechanical vibrations and shocks are also common stresses for equipment in defense applications. These forces can lead to connector dislodgment, fatigue failures, and eventual malfunctions. Overcoming these issues requires mechanical stability through reinforced housings and advanced locking mechanisms. Optimized geometries can also distribute stress more effectively, thereby reducing fatigue.
Environmental contaminants such as dust, water, and corrosive chemicals can compromise performance by causing abrasion, short circuits, or corrosion. High ingress protection (IP) ratings and effective sealing techniques are vital to safeguarding components in such conditions, achievable by integrating multistage sealing systems. To withstand even the harshest of environments, encapsulation and conformal coatings are used to further enhance the durability of the connectors.
Fiber-optic connections, essential for high-speed data transmission, are particularly vulnerable to contamination, physical stress, and alignment issues. Maintaining optical clarity under extreme conditions is crucial for reliable communication. Similarly, applications that involve frequent connection and disconnection demand connectors capable of enduring numerous cycles without degradation. This durability requires the integration of advanced contact systems and wear-resistant materials.
Commonly used physical contact (PC) connections are known for their good attenuation values and are therefore widely used within high-end applications that rely on high-speed data transmission. To deliver the quality needed, contact ends must be aligned perfectly in a dust-free environment. Each mating cycle requires a cleaning procedure of all the contacts to ensure perfect mating conditions.
It’s also true that the direct physical connection between the polished fiber ends forces microscratches and continuing contact wear. The high susceptibility of the technology reduces the overall service life of the connectors to a few hundred mating cycles, maximum, and comes with high maintenance requirements.
It seems like engineers have to choose: Good data-transmission performance combined with high maintenance effort, or mediocre data-transmission performance combined with medium maintenance effort.
Established expanded-beam technologies minimize the impact of contamination and alignment issues. With a longer service lifetime, the systems are less sensitive to contamination and mechanical influences. They don’t require cleaning before every mating cycle, but still need to be cleaned on a regular basis.
Regular cleaning comes at a price, however: Insertion loss and return loss characteristics of these expanded-beam solutions are far worse than comparable PC solutions. It seems like engineers have to choose: Good data-transmission performance combined with high maintenance effort, or mediocre datatransmission performance combined with medium maintenance effort. This dilemma often means that engineers avoid fiber as much as possible.
An example of a fiber-optic interconnect solution that can mitigate these issues is the ODU Expanded Beam Performance technology. It has high transmission characteristics and can go beyond 50,000-plus mating cycles for consistent performance in harsh environments. The technology is resistant to mechanical stress, contamination, and environmental influences and can deliver stable optical performance with minimal insertion loss. The compact design also enables high-density systems that can connect multiple fibers at the same time.
Harsh environment applications demand engineering solutions that can meet and exceed the requirements in the field. By addressing challenges such as thermal stress, mechanical vibration, environmental contamination, and optical signal integrity, engineers can ensure that systems perform reliably under extreme conditions.
Thomas Mittermeier is Strategic Business Development Manager at ODU.
ODU-USA • odu-usa.com
By Joel Krooswyk, GitLab
The U.S. Army’s recent mandate for software bills of materials (SBOMs) marks a significant step forward in bolstering software supply-chain security. This proactive measure, driven by President Biden’s 2021 executive order on cybersecurity, aims to improve the visibility and security of software components. As the federal government and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) prioritize supply-chain security, we can expect SBOM requirements to become a standard across all military branches.
The Army’s SBOM mandate is a positive milestone, signaling that the agency’s security posture is evolving from reactive to proactive. SBOMs will give the Army more oversight into vulnerabilities and guidance on where to fix them.
However, implementing SBOMs for legacy systems can be challenging due to tool limitations and the inherent complexity of agency systems. Many legacy systems within the DoD may not be easily adapted to generate and maintain accurate SBOMs. Additionally, the maturity and availability of tools to support SBOM generation and analysis can vary.
Organizations must invest in modernizing their softwaredevelopment processes and adopting tools that can automate SBOM generation and maintenance. Additionally, they must ensure that SBOMs are dynamic and up-to-date. Traditional SBOMs are static snapshots of software components and may not provide adequate visibility into evolving vulnerabilities. By adopting dynamic SBOMs, organizations can gain real-time insights into their software supply chain and take timely action to address emerging threats.
Effectively implementing SBOMs requires a combination of technological advancements, process improvements, and a strategic approach. By investing in modern tools and methodologies, organizations can streamline the generation and maintenance of SBOMs, ensuring they remain accurate and relevant.
The implementation of SBOMs can be supercharged by automating the process; by automating SBOM generation and integrating it with security scanning tools for vulnerability analysis, organizations can gain real-time insights into their software supply chain. Artificial intelligence (AI) further enhances this process by providing automated recommendations and remediation for vulnerabilities.
Integrating SBOMs with continuous vulnerability scanning enables organizations to identify and address emerging threats proactively. AI can play a crucial role in this process, analyzing
vast amounts of data to identify potential vulnerabilities and suggest appropriate mitigation strategies.
Furthermore, AI can help streamline the interpretation of SBOM data, making it easier for security teams to understand and prioritize risks. By automating tasks like vulnerability analysis and patch management, AI can free up security teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.
While the Army’s memo didn’t explicitly mention AI, software developers have demonstrated the benefit of integrating AI into the entire software-development life cycle. By embracing these technologies, agencies can significantly improve their software supply-chain security posture and protect critical assets.
By embracing SBOMs and leveraging advanced technologies like AI, agencies can build more secure and resilient software supply chains.
As with many department-wide mandates, the Army’s SBOM memo will require organizational and cultural changes, including within private-sector partners that work with the Army. The Army’s mandate sets a strong precedent for other organizations, particularly within the federal government.
As we go through 2025, we can expect most, if not all, military branches will utilize SBOMs to provide transparency into defense systems, software-development processes, and – most importantly – risk. The increased adoption of SBOMs will assist defense agencies in aligning with Secure by Design guidance set forth by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Secure by Design is an initiative introduced by CISA in 2024 to encourage software manufacturers to prioritize security throughout the software development life cycle. Many agencies will develop stringent SBOM requirements and may refuse to work with vendors that can’t provide SBOMs.
As the software-development landscape continues to evolve, the importance of SBOMs will only grow. By embracing SBOMs and leveraging advanced technologies like AI, agencies can build more secure and resilient software supply chains.
Joel Krooswyk is the Federal CTO at GitLab.
GitLab • https://about.gitlab.com/
Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.
By Editorial Staff
This issue we are highlighting The Warrior Alliance (TWA), a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the quality of life for service members, veterans, and their families through a total care network of veteran-support and civilian-reintegration programs. The 501(c)(3) organization – headquartered in Atlanta and teamed up with veteran-service community partners across the U.S. –was established in 2015 under the umbrella of HINRI, The High Impact Network of Responsible Innovators nonprofit accelerator. Under the leadership of founder and president/CEO Scott Johnson, TWA facilitates programs to increase access for at-risk veteran populations in the areas of legal services, skills development, and employment. One program, the Veteran Legal Service Network, maintains a network of law schools, nonprofits, law firms, and private legal-service providers that can help service members, veterans, reservists, and their families access legal aid that specializes in areas of civil and military legal matters.
Another of TWA’s programs is called Operation Double Eagle, which aims to leverage skills that were mastered during military service to achieve new careers in the golf, landscape, and turf industries. The nine-week skills-development program in Augusta, Georgia – free of charge to accepted applicants – connects veterans and transitioning active-duty service members to a network of employers seeking job-ready participants for nationwide career opportunities. By defining competencies for traditional positions in the golf industry and aligning those with specific training and educational offerings, TWA and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) established Operation Double Eagle to address the shortage of workers in the golf industry while providing a career pathway to help individuals advance from entry-level to leadership positions. For additional information, visit https://thewarrioralliance.org/.
Sponsored by Concurrent, DDC-I, Elma, Kontron, LCR, RTI, SV Microwave, and Wind River
Since the 2019 memo mandating that the U.S. military must use a modular open systems approach (MOSA) for new program designs and refreshes, MOSA has gone from concept to buzzword to a common part of program requirements across multiple domains – air, land, sea, space, and spectrum. MOSA is changing the way companies do business with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through MOSA initiatives like FACE, SOSA, CMOSS, and others.
Powered by Military Embedded Systems, the 2025 MOSA Virtual Summit’s keynote and sessions drive awareness and thought leadership around MOSA as what the DoD memo termed a “warfighting imperative. The sessions explore MOSA examples like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, approach; the C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS); and the Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, approach with the aim of studying how they impact signal-processing, software, hardware, AI, and RF designs. (This is an archived event.)
Watch this webcast: https://tinyurl.com/mtcttu2r
Watch more webcasts: https://militaryembedded.com/webcasts/
By StarLab Corp.
The European Union's (EU) adoption of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) in October of 2024 initiated a 36-month timeline for full compliance. Companies selling products within the EU must meet stringent security-oriented design and reporting requirements or face significant fines for noncompliance. Linux, particularly through the Yocto build tool, is becoming a preferred operating system for industrial applications but poses challenges in creating secure products due to complex configuration and documentation.
Achieving CRA compliance is complex and may necessitate hiring security consultants or using specialized security products. Exceeding CRA requirements offers financial and competitive advantages by reducing incidents and associated reporting obligations, enabling engineering teams to focus on product development and innovation. Companies that prioritize security will gain a competitive edge in the market.
Read the white paper: https://tinyurl.com/3ym6erax Get more white papers and e-Books: https://militaryembedded.com/whitepapers
Military Embedded Systems focuses on embedded electronics – hardware and software – for military applications through technical coverage of all parts of the design process. The website, e-mags, newsletters, podcasts, virtual events, annual Resource Guide, and print editions cover topics including radar and electronic warfare, artificial intelligence/machine learning, uncrewed systems, C5ISR, avionics, and cybersecurity. Don’t miss any of it!
Military Embedded Systems is also the largest source for coverage of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard and the Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, Technical Standard. We exclusively produce the once-yearly SOSA Special Edition and FACE Special Edition. militaryembedded.com
