A WiMAX Networked UAV Telemetry System for Net-Centric Remote Sensing and Range Surveillance

A WiMAX networked UAV Telemetry System (WNUTS) is designed for net-centric remote sensing and launch range surveillance applications. WNUTS integrates a MIMO powered and WiMAX networked Tracking Antenna and Radio Link (TARL) system for UAV telemetry, a net-centric software package for application support, and a WiMAX groundstation network infrastructure for range extension and persistent mission automation. TARL links a remotely deployed UAV/airship sensor platform to a groundstation network with a 100+ Mbps bandwidth over a 30+ mile range using our innovative aerial/ground antenna technologies and carrier-grade WiMAX radio technologies. The WNUTS net-centric software supports real time remote sensing/telemetry applications. These include web-enabled graphic user interfaces for visualizing real time UAV missions in 3D flight through animation, performing real time GPS/IMU data processing for direct remote sensing data geo-reference, generating geo-referenced image QuickMosaics, and displaying selective inch-level high-resolution image contents. WNUTS web-based software tools enable web-collaborated data processing and information exploitation, extraction, and dissemination for remote sensing applications. The WiMAX groundstation network infrastructure flexibly extends UAV telemetry coverage for either long corridors (e.g. borders) or large block areas (e.g. launch range, cities) by appropriately configuring and deploying networked TARL groundstation cells (fixed or mobile). Using WiMAX and other COTS components, WNUTS is low cost, easy to maintain, and easily upgradeable.