Terralink ISR - Creating Flexibility and Versatility

The earth station requirements of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) community have evolved over recent years to include a diverse range of bands, RF units and bespoke capabilities. While some companies (and most engineers) relish the prospect of a new special project, it consumes time and resources to produce customised, and sometimes one-off solutions. 

Heritage and experience

With our reputation for developing products that are highly reliable and simple to use, Global Invacom was approached to produce systems that encompass a broad multiple bands, RF units with different dimensions, power and mass, and combinations of Tx and Rx bands to further challenge the feed design. Our team were more than ready to take up the challenge to adapt, redesign and optimize a platform that could meet the ever-changing set of requirements for ISR customers. 

When we looked at the existing and well-proven system we were working with, the reflector and tracking performance was well-covered, with excellent performance at Ka-band, and the diversity of our engineering team became the key to solving multiple issues.  We worked to simplify installation and upgrading of RF units.  This included the RF waveguide, where our in-house waveguide design and manufacture capabilities were required.  This resulted in the unique flexibility to incorporate different RF units, from Global Invacom or other vendors, in C-, S-, X-, Ku-, or Ka-band.

Innovative thinking

We are lucky to have a diverse engineering team that is able to contribute different ideas. One of the younger team members suggested a ‘revolver’ design that can quickly and reliably switch securely and remotely, between feeds and bands.

The antennas needed to have a range of modems and baseband units pre-integrated or easily connected, and the system required management and control capabilities for both stand-alone use or integration into an existing management system.  We were able to build in flexibility for mounting and cabling for the baseband units so that they could be easily and quickly integrated.

To accommodate the size and weight associated with higher power RF and multiple bands, we optimised our already robust pedestal, and utilised proven, accurate but highly rugged in-house actuators. We enclosed the antenna in a rugged, low loss radome and we drew on our experience of installing antennas in a host of locations and environments to design a system that is easy to install on an existing or new pad, frames, and rooftops.  

The TerraLink 370 ISR

Introduced initially with a 3.7m aperture, the TerraLink 370 ISR is a robust, modular and flexible ISR platform.  Manufactured in the UK largely in-house, with strict parts controls and meeting key MIL specifications, it is backed by a strong warranty and years of experience of supporting antennas in the field.

Our design team focused on modularity and adaptability, leveraging different experiences and skills, and proved again that we can swiftly meet the needs of our ISR antenna customers.

While the reflector RF performance and tracking accuracy may be comparable to similar aperture Earth Observation antennas, over recent years companies and agencies engaged in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) have requested an impressively diverse range of bands, RF units, and bespoke capabilities.  While some companies (and most engineers) relish the prospect of a new special project, it consumes time and resources to produce customized, and sometimes one-off solutions.

The same companies turned to Global Invacom, often based on years of experience with our products and appreciating the tradition of reliability and ease of operation.  The requests encompassed a broad multiple bands, RF units with different dimensions, power and mass, and combinations of Tx and Rx bands to further challenge the feed design.  Our underlying desire is to fulfill customer requests as quickly as possible, and continue to serve a growing customer base, so we challenged the team on how to adapt, redesign, and optimize a platform to easily meet an ever-changing set of requirements.  

The reflector and tracking performance was well-covered, with excellent performance at Ka-band, and the diversity of our engineering team became the key to solving the other issues.  The more experienced mechanical engineers, raised with Erector Sets or Meccano and with years of finding the best ways to make things fit together, devised ways to install, change and upgrade RF units.  This included the ‘plumbing’ - RF waveguide, where our well-recognized in-house waveguide design and manufacture capabilities came into the fore.   The result is a unique flexibility to incorporate different RF units, from Global Invacom or other vendors, whether C-, S-, X-, Ku-, or Ka-band.

A somewhat younger part of our team, raised with Transformer toys and digital devices, contributed to advances like the ‘revolver’ design to quickly and reliably switch -- securely and remotely -- between feeds and bands.   It’s efficient and clever, and even fun for grown-up engineers to play with.  

Through prior requests and projects we knew the antennas needed to have a range of modems and baseband units pre-integrated or easily connected, and for the system to come with the management and control capabilities for both stand-alone use or integration into an existing management system.   We designed flexibility for mounting and cabling the baseband units, with the ability to quickly and easily integrate.  We prefer to build complete, service ready terminals, rather than wasting our and customer time debating engineering changes and scope.

To accommodate the size and weight associated with higher power RF and multiple bands, we optimized our already robust pedestal, and utilise proven, accurate but highly rugged in-house actuators.   We enclose the antenna in a rugged, low loss radome, and again drawing on experience installing antennas in a host of locations and environments, we designed for ease of installation on an existing or new pad, frames, and rooftops.  

While meeting earlier bespoke requests we used our own time and resources to create a robust, modular, and readily adaptable platform for ISR -- introduced initially with a 3.7m aperture, the TerraLink 370 ISR.  Manufactured in the UK with largely in-house mechanicals and key units, with strict parts controls and meeting key MIL specifications, backed by a strong warranty and years of supporting antennas in the field.

We are proud how the design team looked to modularity and adaptability, leveraging different experiences and skills, and they appreciate that we can now immediately meet the needs of a broader range ISR antenna customers.