Textron Systems joins Persistent Systems Wave Relay® Ecosystem

Aerosonde® Small Unmanned Aircraft System to be incorporated into battlefield network

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Apr 30, 2019, 09:04 ET

NEW YORK, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistent Systems, LLC ("Persistent") announced today that Textron Systems will join the Wave Relay® Ecosystem, an industry alliance of unmanned platform and sensor manufacturers sharing Persistent's Wave Relay® mobile ad hoc network (MANET).

As part of the five-year agreement with Persistent, Textron Systems will incorporate the compact, lightweight, MANET-enabling Embedded Module into its Aerosonde® Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) for select applications.

"We are extremely excited to have Textron Systems join the Wave Relay® Ecosystem. Their products will be a part of building the future of battlefield networking," said Louis Sutherland, Vice President of Business Development for Persistent. "This integration provides the Aerosonde SUAS with a reliable communication link, necessary for a wholly networked battlefield."

Each radio, each communications node, in a MANET acts as both a receiver and a relay station. This allows for a robust, self-forming, self-healing buzzing beehive of voice, video, text and sensor data—all without a vulnerable central node or fixed communications infrastructure.

"It is critically important for an unmanned aircraft system to have a reliable communication link, as our customers depend on our system during thousands of operational flight hours each month," says Textron Systems Vice President of Tactical Mission Systems Chris Mallon. "The integration of the Wave Relay® MANET technology helps us provide this reliability to our customers."

Textron Systems' Aerosonde SUAS, which offers proven multi-mission performance in land- and sea-based applications, has accumulated more than 315,000 flight hours of operational maturity. The platform is equipped for real-time, full-motion video and communications relay within a single flight, day or night. The Aerosonde system features a range of 75 nautical miles, 200 watts of available payload power, more than 14 hours of endurance, distributed manned/unmanned teaming capability and is deployable in 20 minutes or less. Further, with its Lycoming® EL-005 heavy fuel engine, the Aerosonde is the only platform in its class with a propulsion system completely supported by a manufacturer with unmatched manned aviation expertise, including a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Production Certificate.

For more information on Wave Relay®-enabled Textron Systems products, visit the Wave Relay® Ecosystem at http://www.persistentsystems.com/ecosystem-uav/.

About Persistent Systems, LLC

Headquartered in New York City since 2007, Persistent Systems, LLC is a global communications technology company that develops and manufactures a patented and secure Mobile Ad hoc Networking (MANET) system: Wave Relay®. Wave Relay® transmits and receives data, video, voice and other applications under the most difficult conditions. Their suite of products is utilized in Commercial, Military, Government, Industrial, Agriculture, Robotics, and Unmanned Systems markets. Please visit http://www.persistentsystems.com to learn more. Follow Persistent Systems on Twitter to get updates on the latest developments @pswaverelay.

AEROSONDE is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

LYCOMING is a registered trademark of Avco Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

SOURCE Persistent Systems, LLC