NuWaves Engineering has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from NASA to research and develop a linear C-band power amplifier (PA) for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
In collaboration with Auriga Microwave of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, NuWaves proposed an innovative method to reduce the size, weight and power (SWaP) of a linear C-band power amplifier for non-payload command and control (C2) systems on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by leveraging advanced monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology and linearization techniques. The team’s PA solution is expected to help overcome operational range limitations inherent in the use of C-band for data link communications versus lower frequency bands in common use today, such as L-band and S-band. In addition, the PA’s exceptional DC-to-RF power efficiency performance will enable support for smaller aircraft, which are expected to comprise a higher percentage of unmanned air fleets in the future.
NuWaves Engineering is a supplier of RF and Microwave solutions for Department of Defense (DoD), government, industrial and commercial customers. They offer a broad range of design and engineering services related to the development and sustainment of key communications and telemetry systems, as well as a complete line of commercially available RF products. Auriga Microwave is a recognized international leader in modeling, measurement and design of RF, microwave and millimeter-wave technologies.
