The overlords are Boeing and Lockheed with their Russian partners. But they need broadband backbones via satellite. When they get full overflight access in the United States, the market will explode.
UAVs will likely play an increased role in search and rescue in the United States as well as border control. Cities may come next. Tier I and Tier II UAVs almost never use satellite links because they can’t support the size and weight of high-gain tracking antennas, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle"; target=new>Tier II UAVs</a> (medium altitude, long endurance) like the <a href="http://www.milsatmagazine.com/2009/MSM_Jan09.pdf"; target=new>MQ-1 Predator</a> and <a href="http://www.milsatmagazine.com/2009/MSM_Jan09.pdf"; target=new>MQ-9 Reaper</a>, use L- or C-band links as well as S-band. Newer satellite platforms could bring broadband connectivity to small UAVs. DARPA is expected to sign a Vulture contract shortly, building an UAV with an endurance of 5 years. Lockheed's UAV is solar-powered, like the <a href="http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/eco-tech-aurora-s-solar-powered-uav-can-stay-aloft-for-five-years/"; target=new>Aurora</a> and <a href="http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q2/080421d_nr.html"; target=new>Boeing concepts</a> selected for study under <a href="http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080310-technov-helios.html"; target=new>Darpa’s Vulture program</a>. DARPA, of course, is already planning a 65,000 foot comm center in the sky using autonomous balloons. I think the satellite backbone is vital to the success of the Russians and Boeing. That's while they'll get on board the "digital divide" in the next few months. ViaSat. - Sam -------- On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 11:16 AM, Tom Higgins<tomhigg...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Every 24 hours your connection goes hurtling to the ground. Yea at 50 > bucks a bag its probably a cost you can have your customers eat if the > only alternative is radio fax. For the states I do not think this is a > viable option for other than one off projects, othernet instances or > for when the dark lords shut down our tubes and we are forced to use > whatever methods necessary to keep our flow of Squidbilly torrents > going. > > It looks like this solution might finaly have found an actual problem > area to solve for. > > -tomh > > > > -- Sam Churchill (www.dailywireless.org) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ The Personal Telco Project - http://www.personaltelco.net/ Donate to PTP: http://www.personaltelco.net/donate Archives: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.network.wireless.portland.general/ Etiquette: http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/MailingListEtiquette List information: http://lists.personaltelco.net To post to this group, send email to ptp-general@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to ptp-general-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
