uAvionix announced that ping200X , its flagship Mode S ADS-B OUT UAS Transponder, has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification from the FAA. ping200X is the pinnacle of years of evolution of investment in groundbreaking, low-Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) avionics developed by uAvionix and certified for use on UAS, General Aviation (GA), and defense aircraft.
Weighing only 50 grams, ping200X delivers 200 watts of transmit power while only drawing an average of 1.5 watts from the aircraft’s power supply. The ping200X profile is small enough to be fitted onto small UAS (sUAS) and supports longer flight times and larger 
payloads with minimal energy consumption. When paired with truFYX, uAvionix’s SBAS GPS, ping200X meets the requirements of global controlled airspace, delivering safe separation information to Air Traffic Control (ATC), Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS), and Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems.
ADS-B and transponder technology is a key component of UAS integration for mixed-use airspace. The FAA’s recent ruling on remote identification for UAVs establishes that Part 21 certificated aircraft must be equipped with a Remote ID device and/or ADS-B OUT Transponder for legal operations. Additionally, the FAA’s Concept of Operations for Upper-Class E Traffic Management (ETM) includes ADS-B and Mode S Transponders as key technologies enabling coordination in the upper atmosphere.
ping200X integrates and combines a Mode S Transponder, ADS-B OUT, and an altitude encoder certified to the following TSOs:
- TSO-C112e (Mode S Transponder)
- TSO-C166b (ADS-B OUT Extended Squitter)
- TSO-C88b (altitude encoder)
“Certified avionics ensure the systems perform to the same high standards that have allowed aviation to remain the safest form of transportation for decades, “ said Christian Ramsey, President. “This is even more important for systems like transponders and ADS-B which interact with other airspace users. Regulators and ANSPs demand the design assurance and quality assurance that a TSO offers to ensure safe separation of aircraft.”
Innovation Enabling Operations
ping200X has been at the center of two recent notable milestones within the UAS industry. Most recently, ping200X has been incorporated into Launch customer Airbus’s High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) flight testing campaign, Zephyr. Designed to give Military, Commercial, and Institutions access to sustainable solar-powered stratospheric satellites, Zephyr is equipped with a suite of sensors to support future systems and solutions.
In the United Kingdom, UAS specialist Flylogix recently equipped the ping200X Transponder to achieve an ambitious Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operation in the North Sea for conducting oil platform inspections with drones to reduce carbon emissions and promote more efficient and safer operations.
Track from the uAvionix ping200X squitter transmissions for an example Flylogix BVLOS flight, as recorded by the Aireon space-based ADS-B network.
