The TEKEVER Group, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) manufacturer, and ViaSat, a provider of communication technologies and services, have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at expanding the civilian use of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms with advanced satellite communications.
The companies are collaborating by adding ViaSat’s communication technologies onto TEKEVER’s UAS platforms to push the boundaries of UAS range in civilian beyond line of sight (BLOS) applications, officials say.
Research and development (R&D) activities will combine TEKEVER platforms and ViaSat hardware to develop communication systems for current and next-generation civilian drone applications.
“ViaSat is on the forefront of satellite communication technologies and we’re proud to join them in a quest to innovate the civilian UAS market with forward-thinking long-range applications,” explains Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER Group chief operating officer, during the 2015 Paris Air Show. “This partnership will increase our capability to deliver more effective solutions for multiple mission profiles, including maritime surveillance, emergency response, and monitoring of critical infrastructures.”
“TEKEVER is delivering state-of-the-art unmanned systems to both the military and civilian markets. Joining them will allow us to adapt our technology to new types of applications that we believe will change the future of civilian BLOS UAS applications,” adds Stefano Vaccaro, managing director of ViaSat Antenna Systems Division, Switzerland. “This has a significant worldwide market potential that aligns with the strategic roadmap of both companies.”
ViaSat technologies will include satellite communication products that are robust and can be integrated with Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems driving the use of drones in “unsegregated” or civilian airspace. The products that will be developed through the TEKEVER and ViaSat strategic alliance will expand the range of civilian service applications for drone usage through enabling smaller platforms and longer missions.
The first use cases that will be demonstrated include maritime monitoring and critical infrastructure surveillance.
TEKEVER is a technological group based out of Portugal that develops technologies for the enterprise, aerospace, defense, and security markets. TEKEVER contributes to the modernization and evolution of these markets by developing and delivering advanced technology and products that improve the quality of communication, information, and execution capabilities in organizations. In the UAV sector, TEKEVER is an OEM platforms manufacturer and systems provider. The technology and products created in the aerospace and defense area have already resulted in three spin-offs and several product lines.
ViaSat engineers creative ways to connect people to new communication applications with networking systems and services that enable a fast, cost-efficient, secure, and high-performance connection to virtually any location. The company offers Exede high-speed Internet and broadband services in North America; worldwide mobile satellite services, including global tracking and messaging as well as high-speed in-flight internet; satellite broadband networking systems; Wi-Fi and other hotspot operations, support, and management systems; network-centric military communication systems for the U.S. and allied governments; cybersecurity; and communication system design. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, ViaSat employs more than 3,400 people worldwide in the areas of technology development, customer service, and network operations.
Source: Intelligent Aerospace