Insitu will incorporate Persistent Systems\u2019 Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET)
\ntechnology into its line of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the ScanEagle, ScanEagle2,
\nScanEagle3, Integrator, and RQ-21A Blackjack.<\/p>\n
Persistent Systems has entered into several five-year agreements with UAV manufacturers,
\nincluding Martin UAV and Raytheon, Louis Sutherland, vice-president of business development for
\nPersistent Systems, told Jane\u2019s .<\/p>\n
What makes each agreement unique is that Persistent Systems must take a different approach for
\nintegrating its MPU5 radio not just into the different company UAVs, but the different product lines
\nwithin each company, Sutherland noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we integrate [the MPU5] we try to do it in a way that makes it the most optimal for their
\nplatform, but frankly there is a unique discussion for each platform because some companies have
\nmore than one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In the case of Insitu, initially the MPU5 embedded board will be offered on Scan Eagle and Scan
\nEagle III.<\/p>\n
For the Scan Eagle integration effort Persistent Systems relied on a government-developed wing
\ntrade study specific to the UAV.<\/p>\n
The government developed and designed its own test platform, so it could do all the testing of
\nPersistent System\u2019s tracking antenna, Sutherland said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[They want] to use that MIMO [multiple-input multiple-output] tracker and really see what kind of
\nrange you could get with MIMO,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The government released the intellectual property for Insitu and Persistent Systems to use it,
\nSutherland explained. \u201cIt makes sense for them to do that; it has no purpose for the government
\noutside of an MPU5 integration in a ScanEagle.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Persistent Systems continues to form partnerships with other UAV manufacturers, Sutherland
\nsaid each of those efforts will present a challenge because the radio gets installed differently on
\neach platform.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the data communication path could be affected by antenna placement, which is also
\nspecific to each aircraft. Persistent Systems spends most of its time during integration work,
\nSutherland added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [UAVs] may only have so much real estate to place antennas; they may only be able to put
\nit in certain places,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Persistent Systems, for example, might want to install its MIMO antenna in a specific location on
\nthe UAV, but the air vehicle company might say it cannot be done because it might impact the
\nUAV\u2019s performance. Sutherland said the companies have a back and forth dialogue until they
\ndetermine the best approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically our radio is a 3\u00d73 MIMO, so ideally we would want to have three antennas or at least
\none antenna be dual-polarised. So theoretically you would have two antenna inputs: a horizontal
\nand vertical input,\u201d Sutherland said.<\/p>\n
However, at 35.56 cm in height, the dual-polarised antenna could be too big for some smaller
\nUAVs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has a lot of drag for a small [UAV]. Some larger Group 3 [UAVs] could certainly use that and
\nhave some tremendous benefit from it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do everything we can to optimise it. In some
\ncases, the [UAVs] are too small so we can’t do anything about it; but we push things to the (boundaries) to what is possible on the engineering side.”<\/p>\n
Comment
\nPersistent Systems\u2019 MPU5 embedded board has been integrated on at least three of the four UAV
\nmanufacturers competing for the Group 2-3 US Army Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System
\neffort. Sutherland said Persistent Systems\u2019 goal is to achieve the same level of integration on
\nUAVs that the company has done with the robotics community. The MPU5 is integrated onto
\nunmanned ground vehicles built by Endeavor Robotics.<\/p>\n