Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) used by U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and other nations for reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, and assessment required an upgrade for Ethernet switching capabilities for onboard communications and sensor payload equipment. These platforms enable situational awareness for commanders to see, understand, and act decisively in time-critical situations. The relatively small physical size of this class of vehicle and the noisy electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by its comms equipment presented a challenge for the UAS manufacturer when identifying a reliable Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) networking solution. The product had to reliably operate in demanding environments, provide robust network functionality while meeting the platforms' extreme size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints.
At only 0.5 lbs in weight and 10 in3 in size, the DuraNET 20-11 prove to be ideal solutions for smaller to mid-sized UAS platforms, while meeting harsh environmental and EMI standards. The success onboard these UAS platforms has resulted in these DuraNET Ethernet switches being chosen for multiple follow-on platforms to include air and ground vehicles. For applications requiring Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, see DuraNET 20-11 model.
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