Tellumat Defence’s solutions architect, Conrad Thomas, recently unveiled some of the mystery behind Tellumat’s tactical data link strategy.
Based in Cape Town, Tellumat Defence has a long track record and expert capability in providing high end UHF and C-band microwave tactical data links into the military environment. These are typically for the wider bandwidth applications, Thomas explains. “The uses essentially revolve around the transmission of payload data from both unmanned and manned airborne platforms to the commander on the ground, in real-time, to effect superior decision making,” he says.
“In support of this, Tellumat Defence has established a unique capability of customising the air media access control (MAC) layer to meet the typically stringent air interface demands required by the military.”
The company has also developed a software defined radio (SDR) architecture which has the ability to host the complex modulation and demodulation elements essential to meet these requirements. In addition, Tellumat Defence has created a common hardware platform and a firmware abstraction layer that decouples the media access implementation (modulation techniques) from the hardware.
Touting the benefit of this common hardware platform and firmware abstraction layer, Thomas adds: “it enables the customer to enjoy the advantages of this advanced capability at a lower cost due to Tellumat achieving economies of scale from a hardware perspective. To complement this, Tellumat Defence has a unique understanding of the dynamic requirements of such a tactical data link and to meet this challenge, the company has developed a comprehensive suite of parameterised computational modulation and demodulation SDR elements.”
These elements have the capability to change the characteristics of the data link ‘on the fly’ without loss of data, which Thomas claims is crucial in obtaining the best possible performance of the link under varying propagation conditions.
Tellumat Defence’s tactical data link solutions include end-to-end implementations consisting of radio equipment, antennas, tracking and positioning systems, and interface into the command and control world. The radio equipment comprises five generations of very capable products, including the analog, high-power DL-1000 microwave communication system, the DL-2000 hybrid (digital DSSS uplink, analog encrypted downlink), the fully symmetrical digital DL-3000 and its HD video derivative DL-4000.
The newest-generation links include the lightweight, small form factor DL-5100 UHF control data link and C-band DL-5000 payload data link.
Tellumat Defence is constantly looking for co-operative partnerships with concurring organisations to address common defence or security requirements. Thomas feels this desired collaboration should lead to medium- to long-term sustainability by jointly offering the outcomes to third party customers.
“As an additional opportunity, Tellumat Defence offers systems, products and services into countries with a mutual goal of self-reliance. By choosing Tellumat as a partner, they choose advanced, independent, South African-based technology,” Thomas concludes.
For more information contact Brian Ferguson, Tellumat Defence, +27 (0)83 679 3985.
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