Elisra unveils new data link technology for UAVs

Elisra unveils its newly developed UAV data link systems at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2009 Conference and Exhibition in Washington DC, August 11-13. The company’s latest C-band Starlink and ADLS-2 solutions will be showcased, underscoring Elisra’s technological prowess in the UAV data link field. Elisra’s C-band Starlink digital data link was designed for integration on tactical UAS and is now operational worldwide. The system delivers secure UAS-borne payload video images in real time to field commanders, dismounted troops and Special Operations Forces, providing them with critical reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. Immune to jamming and interference, this data link system provides the best inner-link solutions for interference, multipath, and coexistence. The C-band Starlink employs a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) method that produces high spectral efficiency (4 MHz per channel), operating in Single Frequency or Frequency Hopping modes with uplink and downlink traffic sharing the same frequency for efficient bandwidth use. Based on COTS technology, this latest-generation data link system operates at ranges between zero and 100 km. ADLS-2 is the company’s latest wireless communications system for MALE UAVs. This data link system is the first of its kind with the ability to transmit data, both video and audio, from five different UAV-borne payloads and 24 IP outputs, simultaneously. ADLS-2 consists of an airborne segment – the Air Data Terminal (ADT) – and a ground segment – the Ground Data Terminal (GDT). These segments comprise a variety of units – each specifically configured according to customer needs, UAV type, and the platform’s payload capabilities. The compartmentalized ground units receive UAV data and distribute it to their respective addressees. The GDT constitutes an integral part of the Ground Control Station (GCS), where personnel control the UAV and conduct two-way communications according to mission parameters.