Triad RF Systems has published an article detailing the capabilities of its latest TA1264 RF amplifier, which plays a crucial role in countering threats from unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The risks associated with opposed UAS are escalating across both military and commercial landscapes. In today’s electronic warfare environment,these drones rely heavily on GNSS/GPS technology for accurate positioning,navigation,and timing. Furthermore, they require real-time command and control links, along with high data rate radio frequency (RF) connections, to successfully execute their missions.While this technology is essential for their operation, it also exposes them to cyber vulnerabilities and potential exploitation.
to address the growing challenges posed by remotely-operated aerial vehicles, a new generation of advanced UAV detection and defense solutions has emerged. these counter-UAS systems are engineered to detect, jam, intercept, and neutralize a wide array of threats, from specialized military drones to weaponized consumer-grade models. Managing the diverse RF spectrum in which these systems operate presents a notable challenge.
The battlefield is characterized by a continuous presence of dense RF signal traffic, making radio silence a rarity. The increasingly elegant software-defined radios utilized in UAS demand equally advanced counter-UAS technologies. Triad RF has been responding to numerous requests from system integrators for compact, powerful, and highly linear broadband amplifiers to effectively counter these emerging threats.
Introducing the TA1264 Radio Amplifier: A Military Solution
As a frontrunner in the design and manufacturing of high-power microwave amplifiers and radio systems, Triad RF is expanding its lineup of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) wideband high-power amplifiers. In response to the demand for enhanced counter-UAS capabilities, the company has launched the TA1264, a lightweight and compact power amplifier.
Weighing in at just 16 ounces and measuring under 4 inches square and less than 1 inch thick, the TA1264 operates within a frequency range of 300 MHz to 6 GHz, delivering extraordinary power density, linearity, and efficiency. Its robust housing is designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions, making it suitable for critical airborne radio applications. This amplifier can handle everything from simple continuous wave (CW) and frequency modulation (FM) signals to complex modulated carriers like 64 and 256QAM for software-defined radios, and also general RF and microwave amplification.
Additionally,these RF/microwave amplifiers come equipped with advanced built-in monitoring and control systems,managed by microprocessors,FPGAs,CPLDs,or a combination of these technologies. Key features include temperature output, device-level DC monitoring, and power control across various frequencies.
Potential applications for the TA1264 amplifier encompass:
- Counter-UAS operations
- Electronic warfare initiatives
- General RF amplification tasks