Scott Nicholas
PAE has tested the beyond-line-of-sight mission capacity of an unmanned aerial system at the White Sands Missile Test Range in New Mexico to demonstrate the platform’s ability to offer satellite communications and support large data transmission at an extended range.
The Resolute Eagle system was able to receive command-and-control data from a tactical ground station during the test, PAE said Monday.
The demonstration utilized a Ka-band satellite communications system and the average time of data transmission ranged between 550 and 650 milliseconds.
A combination of Boeing‘s commercial satellite service and a compact aviation satcom terminal helped the Resolute Eagle send data at a rate of 10 to 11 megabytes per second in flight.
Karl Williams, chairman of PAE ISR, said the test showed the possibility of integrating satcom technology on tactical group 3 UAS platforms.
Glenn Beach, a senior vice president of PAE ISR, has said he believes that Resolute Eagle has the potential to help the Defense Department and intelligence community perform national security operations in denied airspace.
