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Wireless technology makes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) possible. Given their ever-increasing role in military operations to extend or replace human presence, anything that can be done to improve their operating range and reliability is good news. Now, FreeWave Technologies has extended its product line with two radios that enhance these weapon systems.

Operating in the 1.3-GHz band, the FreeWave Technologies MM2-M13 radio improves the operating range and reliability of unmanned military vehicles.

The MM2-M13 operates in the 1.3-GHz band, and the MM2-MU operates in the UHF band at 340 to 400 MHz (see the figure). They complement Freewave’s earlier MM2 products, which operate in the 900-MHz band with both serial and Ethernet interfaces. With these radios, government and military OEMs can tap the MM2’s tiny footprint and high performance for applications where space and weight are critical, such as sensors as well as UAVs and UGVs. They not only provide greater operating range, frequencies, and interfaces, they’re also compatible with existing deployed systems.

Additionally, the MM2-M13 radios are backward-compatible with FreeWave’s full-size radios, enabling designers to replace existing radios with a much smaller footprint in unmanned vehicles. Both radios also can fit into small handheld controllers. With their light weight and small size, they’re an excellent communications platform for the control and monitoring of UAVs, UGVs, and other unmanned vehicles. Other applications include guided parachutes, sensor networks, data acquisition from field sensors, and other command and control operations.

Transmitter power totals of 1 W for the MM2-M13 and 2 W for the MM2-MU extend the radios’ range to more than 60 miles. They employ frequency-hopping spread-spectrum technology and 128- and 256-bit AES encryption. Their increased operating voltage of 8 to 30 V dc provides broader compatibility with various unmanned systems, and 5-V dc versions also are available. Their ability to operate as a slave/repeater further extends network range and coverage.

Furthermore, their –107-dBm receive sensitivity for a bit error rate (BER) of 10–4 extends range for longer missions and better intelligence. An RS232/485 or transistor-transistor logic (TTL) interface is available for easy adaptation to existing and new unmanned systems. Ethernet versions of these radios also are available, providing Ethernet connectivity and two RS232 ports. And, the MM2-M13 and MM2-MU provide a 230.4-kbit/s maximum throughput for transferring critical data back to ground troops fast.

The radios measure 50.8 (length) by 50.8 mm (width) and weigh 21 g (weight). Light weight and small size are key factors in allowing UAVs to fly longer missions, which mean more intelligence, saving lives on the ground. FreeWave’s MM2-M13 and MM2-MU radios are available for immediate shipment.