UAS Power Amplifier for Extended Range of Non-Payload Communication Devices (UPEND)

The integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) requires a robust, reliable communication link between the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and its operators. Constant communication is a necessity. New and innovative approaches are needed to provide high-bandwidth Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC). To enable the CNPC system and increase the utility of UAS in the NAS, NuWaves Engineering has teamed up with Auriga Microwave (http://www.aurigamicrowave.com/) of Chelmsford, MA to propose the UAS Power amplifier for Extended range of Non-payload communication Devices (UPEND) project. UPEND combines a very high-efficiency radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) with innovative linearization techniques in a miniature package capable of being integrated into UAS platforms as small as the venerable Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle. NuWaves' UPEND leverages advanced Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology, as well as efficiency and thermal design, to minimize size, weight, and power (SWaP) of a PA module, while maintaining the linear output required by complex modern communications waveforms, such as 802.16.