Existing uninhabited vehicle Command and Control (C2) equipment utilizes technology components and modulation schemes available at design time - in some cases up to 15 years ago. The result was bulky, heavy, and power hungry hardware. Both digital devices and RF component function and physical densities have increased dramatically in just the past three years. Today, communications technology with design roots in the military are emerging in commercial products at the expected commercial pricing. These digital communications devices such as wireless Local Area Networks (LAN) use highly integrated semiconductors and state of the art packaging technologies. For example, an entire antenna to bits Direct Sequenced Spread Spectrum radio operating in the ISM band (2.4 2.5 GHZ) is available in a 5 chip set packaged on a PCMCIA card. Use of this generation's emerging commercial RF technology, coupled with high density packaging, holds the promise to yield C2 terminals meeting tactical uninhabited vehicle, both airborne and groundbased, data link requirements. The fortunate confluence of commercial RF technology, high density packaging and our approach to unique platform interfacing represents a significant opportunity to construct modular, light weight, small and reasonably priced Uninhabited Vehicle data link assets with significantly reduced logistics
Keywords: Rf Datalink Direct Sequence Command Communications Control Spread Spectrum Transmitter
