Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
UltiSat has received a contract from the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center to support Global Hawk communications for NASA’s Airborne Science programme, the company announced on 16 October.
The contract will see the company provide commercial Ku-band satellite capacity with coverage of the continental US, Atlantic and Pacific areas of operation.
During atmospheric research operations, the ability to transfer real-time data off the aircraft helps scientists on the ground assess and monitor tropical storms as they develop. This data can enhance the ability to forecast storm tracks and potential landfall points. The enhanced fidelity of these projections improves the accuracy and timeliness of the advanced notifications issued to those most likely to be affected.
Steve Roth, program director, UltiSat, said: ‘UltiSat is proud to support this scientific application of our satellite communication services.
‘We are extremely pleased that our modest contribution to the Airborne Science programme will help to enhance the ability to forecast storm strength and path, provide more accurate warnings to the most likely affected populations and in the end save lives.’
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
The new Amorphous software is a universal controller that would allow a single operator to control a swarm of “thousands” of uncrewed systems, from drones to underwater platforms.
India UAV supplier ideaForge has launched the Netra 5 and Switch V2 drones at Aero India 2025, boasting of enhanced endurance, AI-driven autonomy and improved operational capabilities.
The UAV market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with innovations in technology and battlefield applications driving demand across military sectors. From the battlefields of Ukraine to NATO exercises and beyond, drones are transforming how wars are fought and supported.
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.