Persistent Systems to provide radio networking and electronic warfare (EW) resistance for unmanned aircraft

PLANO, Texas – Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experts at Martin UAV LLC in Plano, Texas, needed radio networking for the company's V-BAT unmanned aircraft that will part of the U.S. Navy's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) replacement. They found their solution from Persistent Systems LLC in New York City.

Martin UAV officials have selected pending a final award  the Persistent Systems MPU5 Wave Relay and embedded module networking devices over the coming years for an advanced modified version of the V-BAT-128 UAV that is part of the Navy Mi2 project, which seeks to develop UAVs able to operate at sea and in other austere environments with little support.

Navy officials chose Martin UAV's V-BAT unmanned aircraft version as this next-generation Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) replacement following an Mi2 live demonstration last November and December at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.

"In keeping with the program's expeditionary focus, our technology will help warfighters operate the V-BAT in the most austere environments, without the need for satellite links," says Eric Waldo, an unmanned aerial systems program manager at Persistent Systems.

Related: Military re-learns the importance of electronic warfare (EW)

The Persistent Systems MPU5 offers long-range operations and also is resilient against electronic warfare (EW) threats without sacrificing performance or scalability, Waldo says. The MPU5 mobile ad hoc network (MANET) solution also is validated by the U.S. Army's Electronic Warfare Laboratory.

The Martin UAV V-BAT is a ducted fan VTOL unmanned aircraft system that takes off like a helicopter and flies as a fixed-winged aircraft for long-endurance intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Martin UAV is a longstanding member of the Persistent Systems Wave Relay Ecosystem, a coalition of sensors and unmanned system companies that all use the Wave Relay MANET.

For more information contact Persistent Systems online at www.persistentsystems.com, Martin UAV at https://martinuav.com, or the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad.