RF & Microwave

Welcome to the RF & Microwave section for Aerospace, your premier source for the latest advancements in high-frequency technologies. Discover how innovations in RF and microwave systems are enhancing communication, navigation, and radar capabilities in the aerospace industry. Stay informed with expert insights, detailed articles, and the latest news on cutting-edge RF and microwave technologies shaping the future of aviation and space exploration. Join us as we explore the critical role of these technologies in driving aerospace performance and innovation.

Latest Stories

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Materials

Boeing to Start Latest P-8A Poseidon Airframe, Avionics Increment 3 Upgrades

The U.S. Navy delivered the first P-8A Poseidon aircraft to be modified with Increment 3 Block 2 capabilities to Boeing on March 27, enabling the fleet to be...

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Aerospace

Three Companies to Build New Multi-Orbit Logistics Prototype Spacecraft

Utilizing commercial technology to facilitate greater in-space mobility for the Department of Defense (DoD), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is working with three...

Products

RF & Microwave Electronics

New Products

See the new products, including Mercury Systems' Direct RF system-on-module, TT Electronics' LRMAH2512 surface-mount technology shunt resistors, General Micro Systems' 1U and 2U “Shorty 4” servers, Sigma-Netics' thin-walled metal tubes, and much more.

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

RF-Cyber for Counter-UAS

Enabling the emerging associated drone-powered economy will require a new generation of counter-drone or counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) to support the growth of safe and secure drone adoption.

Articles

Defense

Counter Unmanned Aircraft System

Looking ahead to the future, the threat of adversarial drones will only increase. Drones don’t necessarily recognize geographical borders or boundaries, and to protect service members and citizens from these impending challenges, the U.S. and its allies must look to CUAS technologies and scale effectively throughout their militaries and relevant civilian agencies.

Application Briefs

Aerospace

New Satellite Connectivity for Air Force Research Aircraft

Intelsat will supply new satellite connectivity terminals on several different U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) aircraft, according to a Feb. 14 announcement by the satellite network operator.

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Unmanned Systems

Are European Cities Ready for Drones and U-Space?

The City of Hamburg has been developing urban air mobility (UAM) as a strategic policy since 2017. Its strategy has been a step-by-step implementation of UAM, with an initial focus on...

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Communications

Leonardo to Design Next Generation Atomic Clock for Galileo Satellites

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a €12 million contract with Leonardo S.p.A (Italy) and Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica to design a new atomic...

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Aerospace

XQ-67A's First Flight Shows 'Genus' Approach to Aircraft Design

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) completed the first flight of the XQ-67A last week at the General Atomics Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale,...

Podcasts

Defense

Countering Illegally Operated Drones at Airports, Stadiums, and Prisons

Jeffrey Starr, Chief Marketing Officer, D-Fend Solutions, is the guest on this episode of Season 1 of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Airlines Have Started Flying Airbus Jets Equipped with MH370-Inspired Emergency Locators

Following European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification last year, Airbus introduced a new-generation Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)...

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Defense

New Commercial Satellite Connectivity Terminals for Air Force Research Aircraft

Intelsat will supply new satellite connectivity terminals on several different U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) aircraft, according to a Feb. 14...

Articles

Information Technology

Revolutionizing Electronic Warfare: Unleashing the Power of High-Performance Software-Defined Radios

In the ever-evolving landscape of electronic warfare (EW), the imperative for technological prowess has never been more pronounced. At the vanguard of this evolution stands a technological marvel — high-performance software defined radios (SDRs).

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

Design Approaches for Established and Emerging RF Receiver Architectures

Traditionally, heterodyne architectures have been the preferred choice for radio frequency (RF) and millimeter-wave (mmWave) receiver architectures, excelling in noise performance, dynamic range, frequency coverage, selectivity, and reduction of EMI. However, recent advancements in high sample rate analog to digital converters (ADCs) and embedded signal processing have prompted a reassessment of both architectures.

Articles

Defense

Rydberg Technologies Shows Potential of Long-Range RF with Quantum Sensor at NetModX23

Rydberg Technologies demonstrated the use of an atomic receiver for long-range RF applications during the NetModX23 event. Shortly after the completion of the NetModX event, Aerospace & Defense Technology caught up with Rydberg CEO David Anderson to discuss the demonstration of their atomic receiver prototype and the future potential of quantum sensing in real-world military RF applications.

Application Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Next Generation Air and Missile Defense Radar

Raytheon recently completed another successful live-fire demonstration of the advanced, 360-degree Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS).

Briefs

Electronics & Computers

Advanced Satellite Communications Research

New algorithm strategies and diverse communication techniques are constantly emerging in the telecommunications realm that consumers, commercial, government, and military demand in order to push the boundaries of data throughput to receive information as quickly as possible.

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Aerospace

Bombardier to Start Building New Army HADES Prototype Spy Plane

Bombardier Defense has received a new contract award to develop a prototype spy plane for the Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program. Under...

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

Key Measurements to Maintain Performance of Critical Electronic Systems on Military Aircraft and Warships

Wireless technology is a critical element of the modern battlefield, making accurate and consistent transmissions of high-speed data essential for mission success. Ensuring wireless system performance has additional challenges when implemented on warships and aircraft.

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

Physicists Develop a New Type of Antenna

This research and demonstration presents a simple technique for a remote Rydberg-atom-based RF sensor, which was verified for distances of up to 30 m between the passive sensing unit and the base station — currently limited by the length of the hallway used in the demonstration.

Products

RF & Microwave Electronics

New Products

See the new products, including the SST ESF3 third-generation embedded SuperFlash technology NVM solution in the GF 28SLPe foundry process; General Micro Systems' new rugged display using open-standard Thunderbolt™ 4 technology; Rohde & Schwarz' RF test and measurement solutions; and more.

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RF & Microwave Electronics

LEO Satellites Complete First Ever Link 16 Broadcast From Space

The Space Development Agency (SDA) recently demonstrated the first ever Link 16 network entry from space, connecting tactical messages from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to...

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Communications

European KC-135s Get Real Time Cockpit System Upgrades

Aircraft assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing are the first tankers in U.S. Air Forces in Europe to be equipped with a new data link system, allowing them to communicate and share...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

100 Satellites Under Development for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Transport Layer

The Space Development Agency (SDA) on Oct. 30 announced a new $617 million agreement with Denver, Colorado-based York Space Systems to deliver...

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RF & Microwave Electronics

Spaceflight Operators Seek Learning Period Extension, More Flight Testing

Commercial spaceflight operations need an extension of the Federal Aviation Administration's moratorium on new regulations for space travel that expires at the...

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Manned Systems

Airbus Tests Single Stick Electric Flight Control System for Prototype eVTOL

Airbus Helicopters has completed a test flight using its FlightLab demonstrator helicopter to evaluate a new single stick electric flight control system developed...

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Sensors/Data Acquisition

Quantum Sensing Enters DoD Landscape in First-of-a-Kind Gyroscope Space Demonstration

The Defense Science Board identified three areas of quantum technology that will be most relevant to the Department of Defense's (DoD) technological...

Podcasts

RF & Microwave Electronics

Dr. Brendan Mulvaney Talks China’s Space and SATCOM Strategy

Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute, is the guest on this episode of the Here’s an Idea Podcast.

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Benefits and Challenges of Direct-RF Sampling for Avionic Platforms

Recent advances in the operation of advanced CMOS processes for extremely high-speed and high dynamic range analog-to-digital (ADC) and digital-to-analog (DAC) data converters has led to their use in directly sampling microwave and even millimeter wave signals.