Start-up Company Pioneers Small SIGINT Sensors For UAVs | Aviation International News

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Start-up Company Pioneers Small SIGINT Sensors For UAVs

California-based VStar Systems is building modular, low-weight, low-cost sensors with potential to expand the mission sets of UAVs.

VStar Systems added its small COMINT sensor (see below) to a Martin V-BAT VTOL UAV. (Photo: Martin)

By Chris Pocock • Defense Correspondent

November 3, 2017

An American start-up company is developing small, low-cost airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) sensors to challenge the established OEMs that have previously dominated this sensitive market. California-based VStar Systems is unashamedly aiming to "commoditize" the business, with a modular and scaleable solution that is particularly suited to smaller UAVs. It has already flown a communications intelligence (COMINT) sensor on a manned lightplane, followed by a UAV. It has also gained a demonstration contract from the U.S. Navy to support a high-altitude platform.

"Our goal is to commoditize SIGINT by providing a system that requires low size, weight, and power (SWAP) and comes in at a low cost. With that, we hope to provide military commanders and warfighters the ability to quickly adjust to new scenarios, because useful SIGINT leads to better decisions," said Andy von Stauffenberg, ceo of VStar Systems.

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