Demo Flights Validate New SmartConnect Technology
Blue Bear has successfully demonstrated a communications bridge that allows multiple systems to interoperate over a single satcom link.
SmartComms is a new module of Blue Bear’s SmartConnect communications technology suite, which will be available as a standalone product or as an option within the larger family of solutions. SmartComms can handle mesh network, satcoms and LTE (cellphone) data in a single comms channel. This aids interoperability, allowing the integration of different platforms into a swarm regardless of the type of datalink they use, while also potentially providing redundancy across larger swarms.
The demonstration involved three Ghost UAS – which are too small to carry a satcom terminal – and a Red Kite UAS, carrying a Cobham Aviator 200 satcom terminal, which utilised an Inmarsat satcom link. The smaller aircraft could be controlled from the Red Kite, extending the range of the system.
“This new technology will revolutionise the way swarming UAS can communicate over long distances with flexible multi bearer communications all linked together via Blue Bear SmartConnect and SmartComms technology,” Blue Bear Managing Director Ian Williams-Wynn stated.
