SPITFIRE low profile Ku-band Satcom terminal

SPITFIRE low profile Ku-band
Satcom terminal
Cobham Technical Services
Antenna and Electronic Systems
Agencies providing defence and emergency
services are increasingly reliant on mobile
communications. Traveling rapidly over large
areas, mobile units require real time, agile,
communication systems for voice, data,
image and video. Land systems must operate
during all vehicle manoeuvres, and should be
unaffected by the type of terrain encountered;
airborne systems must operate in severe
environmental conditions and meet demanding
certification requirements. In order to meet
these demands, Cobham has developed a
family of Satcom-On-The-Move terminals
ensuring unequalled access to commercial
and military satellites.
The SPITFIRE low profile Ku-band terminal is
designed for the most demanding land and
airborne applications. The antenna’s low profile
and low mass make it suitable for installation
on small business jets and UAVs, commercial
and military aircraft and a wide range of land
vehicles including HUMVEEs and SUVs.
System description
The highly integrated terminal includes the
antenna, a 2-axis gear drive positioner and
servo controller, an autonomous tracking
receiver and an inertial navigation unit. A low
noise amplifier, block up and down converters
and a high efficiency solid state power amplifier
are also included, housed under a common
radome above the deck.
A simple L-band I/O and an RS232 interface
together provide direct interface with
standard modem systems, while also enabling
control and monitoring of the system through
a laptop computer.
The operational schemes supported by
SPITFIRE terminals are SCPC and FDTDMA
in star and mesh networks, DSSS multiple
access and combined DSSS-TDMA (e.g. i-Direct)
multiple access in star & mesh networks.
Key features
• Designed for both land
and airborne applications
• Increased data rates in
transmit mode compared to
equivalent circular reflectors
• Low profile and low mass
• Short acquisition and
reacquisition time
• Hemispherical coverage,
with excellent RF
performance at low
elevation scanning angles.