High-Throughput SATCOM Systems for
Long-Endurance UAS Missions

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are often used for surveillance and reconnaissance in long-endurance operations and other types of information-gathering missions. As such, when missions extend Beyond Line of Sight (BLoS), satellite communication is the preferred way to enable broadband connectivity.

Wavestream BlackRay Airborne family of UAS solutions consists of highly integrated airborne SATCOM terminals with minimal size, weight, and power (SWaP). Ideally suited to the needs of long-endurance BLoS operations for UAS’s of all sizes, BlackRay terminals enable high throughput communications for military or commercial applications. They comprise best-of-breed antenna, high-performance modem and BUC technologies developed and manufactured by Wavestream. Modular system design facilitates customization to meet customer specifications in short time frames.

The BlackRay terminals utilize commercial, geostationary satellite capacity to provide full-duplex satellite communication, linking the UAS to its ground control station. The forward link provides command and control capabilities, while the return link transfers sensor data.

The BlackRay terminals can transmit at high speeds from the UAS for any IP-based voice, video or data BLoS application. Wavestream offers a full range of SATCOM systems for Group 3, 4 and 5 UAS, operating in Ku-, Ka- and X- band, and available in different sizes and bit rates.

The BlackRay family of terminals include the following models:

• BlackRay Parabolic – High-throughput communication for medium to large UAS’s
• BlackRay 72Ka – Smallest SATCOM system for UAS

Key Features and Benefits

• Compact form factor enables long-endurance BLoS operations
• Uninterrupted, high-throughput connectivity for military or commercial applications
• Ruggedized lightweight terminal
• Ku-, Ka- and X-band operation
• Powered by Wavestream commercial-grade or military-grade modem