Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems
Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliersFreeWave Technologies, manufacturer of the most reliable, high-performance spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission, has announced the Spartan Series of wireless radios for the government and defense markets, incorporating the most advanced implementation of FIPS 140-2 encryption technology for secure long-range communications in the industry. FreeWave’s Spartan solution is designed to provide a highly secure communications link for a variety of government and defense applications, including command and control of unmanned systems. FreeWave will unveil the Spartan Series at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America event in Las Vegas.
“FreeWave is helping its government and defense customers overcome security challenges for mission-critical applications where failure is not an option,” said Phil Linker, government and defense product manager at FreeWave Technologies. “Based on our proven wireless communications platform, the new Spartan Series will provide a highly sophisticated and unique encryption technology. This will enable a very high level of trusted security for mission-critical applications, such as the command and control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other unmanned systems.”
The Spartan solution was developed due to the increasing demand by government and defense customers for communication data links that offer highly reliable transmission and receipt of secure encrypted data. It also is especially timely given the recent signing of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) re-authorization bill. This bill paves the way for the full integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in commercial U.S. skies by September 2015. Furthermore, the Department of Defense has mandated the requirement for FIPS validated encryption in applications such as command and control of UAS platforms.
The Spartan solution enables data links to pass secure encrypted data both reliably and on a real-time basis. The solution offers a small and lightweight footprint that is attractive for systems where space is limited. Additionally, the Spartan solution is future-proof, offering an upgrade path to NSA Secret and Below (SaB), as UAV and other unmanned systems look to enhance security in the future. Additional product features offered by the Spartan Series include:
- Up to 32 unique crypto keys
- Remote capability to zeroize an individual key or all keys
- NSA “Suite B” algorithms
- The ability to upgrade to a DS-101 key loading interface
- Advanced key handling architecture
The Spartan solution is pending Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 certification that is expected in the near future.
“We have a strong heritage of providing extremely reliable long range wireless radio solutions for secure applications,” said Ashish Sharma, chief marketing officer at FreeWave Technologies. “The Spartan Series’ new compact, state-of-the-art technology further advances the reliable delivery of mission-critical data and allows our customers the ability to seamlessly migrate toward a more secure platform.”
FreeWave Technologies will be showcasing the Spartan Series in its booth (#4057) at AUVSI. Attendees are invited to the booth for a complimentary product demonstration.
The Spartan Series will initially be available in the following configurations:
- 2.4 GHz Serial
- 2.4 GHz Ethernet
- 1.3 GHz Serial
- 1.3 GHz Ethernet
- 225 – 400 MHz Serial
