A leading defense systems integrator was tasked with upgrading the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of a Group 2, Group 3 unmanned aerial system operating in high-threat environments. The aircraft was intentionally designed to be low-cost and attritable, yet it carried increasingly advanced electronic warfare (EW) and ISR sensors that produced enormous amounts of mission data. As those sensors grew more capable, the volume of collected information quickly outgrew what the aircraft’s existing storage system could support, putting pressure on the integrator to find a better way to manage data without redesigning the airframe.
The Challenge
The integrator faced three primary hurdles: finding a faster, more secure way to transfer classified data on and off the aircraft; overcoming limited onboard storage for modern EW payloads and long missions; and ensuring that all data-at-rest remained protected at the highest classification levels, even if the aircraft were compromised. Any new hardware had to be extremely compact, lightweight, power-efficient, and feature National Security Agency (NSA)-approved encryption to preserve the attritable, modular design and be easily managed by operators in high-pressure environments.
