Military and Defense Systems
High-Frequency Solutions for Unmanned Aircraft
On an endurance UAS every gram is fuel and every decibel is range. The RF interconnect carrying satcom, line-of-sight datalink and sensor payload data is specified against size, weight, power and cost together — and then has to survive an airframe that is lighter and flexes more than a manned aircraft.
SWaP-C
BLOS Satcom
Datalink
Lightweight
Ku / Ka
DC–40 GHz
Coverage
-55° to +125°
Temperature
Minimised
Mass per Metre
Design Notes
Trading Grams Against Decibels
Five decisions that define UAS interconnect.
01
Mass Budget
On a long-endurance airframe, cable mass directly reduces payload or loiter time. Every assembly is weighed, and the trade against attenuation is explicit.
02
Loss and Link Margin
A lighter cable is usually a lossier one. Where the run is short, that is a good trade; on a fuselage-length satcom feed it is not.
03
Airframe Flex
Light structures move. Cable routed across a flexing joint needs the fatigue rating that a rigid installation does not.
04
Thermal Range
An unmanned airframe often has no conditioned bay. Electronics and their interconnect see close to the full external temperature range.
05
Attrition Cost
Some platforms are attritable. Interconnect is specified to be reliable and affordable at the same time, which is a genuinely different problem.
Reference Data
Typical UAS Requirements
Platform specifications govern. These are representative.
| Parameter | Typical Requirement | Relevant Series | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satcom band | Ku / Ka | 2.92mm, 2.4mm | Beyond line of sight |
| Datalink band | C / S / L | SMA, TNC | Line of sight control |
| Mass | Minimised per metre | Lightweight jackets | Traded against loss |
| Flexure | Dynamic where routed across joints | Flexible series | Fatigue rated |
| Temperature | -55 °C to +125 °C | Defence series | Unconditioned bays |
| Vibration | Per platform spec | Qualified assemblies | Lighter airframe, more motion |
Our Role
What We Supply for Unmanned Platforms
01
Weight-Optimised Assemblies
Cable and connector combinations chosen against your actual mass budget, with the loss figure stated rather than implied.
02
Satcom and Datalink Interfaces
Ku- and Ka-band precision connectors alongside rugged SMA and TNC for the control link, from one supplier.
03
Volume Without the Wait
Unmanned programmes scale quickly. We manufacture in-house so rate production does not depend on distribution stock.
Selected Products
Interfaces for Unmanned Platforms
Typical starting points for UAS interconnect. Send us the mass budget and the link and we will propose the trade.
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SMA Male to SMA Male System Interconnect Low-Loss RF Cable Assembly – Use CFS150H6 Coax
$20.00 Add to cartQuick View -
2.92mm Female 4-Hole Flange Mount RF Connector – Field Replaceable, 8.64mm Hole Spacing, 0.23mm Pin Diameter
$23.00 Add to cartQuick View -
N Male to N Male System Interconnect Low-Loss RF Cable Assembly – Use CFS830H Coax
$20.00 Add to cartQuick View -
SMA Female 4-Hole Flange Mount RF Connector – Field Replaceable, 8.64mm Hole Spacing, 0.23mm Pin Diameter
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View
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Market Overview
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The full picture: ruggedised RF interconnect across radar, EW, airborne and guidance programmes.
UAS Engineering Support
Working a SWaP Budget?
Send us the mass allowance, the run lengths and the link budget, and our engineers will propose the interconnect.