High-Performance Communication Onboard Our Aircraft: Our Collaboration with RFDesign

To ensure reliable, long-range communication onboard our aircraft, we partnered with a world-class technology provider: RFDesign. Renowned for their cutting-edge radio modem solutions, RFDesign leads the industry in the development and production of long-range wireless communication systems for UAVs, UGVs, and embedded applications.

RFD900x Bundle: Reliability Meets Performance

Our aircraft operates with a customized MAVLink protocol, tailored to meet specific mission requirements. This made it essential to adopt a robust, high-performance communication system capable of delivering exceptional range and data throughput. That’s why we selected the RFD900x bundle—a state-of-the-art radio modem solution trusted by professionals worldwide.

Operating in the 900 MHz ISM band, the RFD900x offers:

• Adjustable transmit power up to 1 Watt, delivering reliable communication over distances exceeding 40 km in real-world conditions.

• Air data rates up to 500 kbit/s, with UART speeds of up to 1 Mbps.

• A receiver sensitivity of -121 dBm, ensuring stable performance even in challenging RF environments.

Engineered for Professional Integration

Designed with professional-grade robustness in mind, the RFD900x includes:

• Dual RP-SMA antenna connectors for diversity switching,

• A low-noise amplifier (LNA) with more than 20 dB gain,

• SAW filters and ESD protection on all I/O ports.

This ensures reliable signal quality, protection against interference, and consistent performance in demanding applications.

The modem runs on the open-source SiK firmware, which supports over-the-air updates and offers both point-to-point and multipoint network topologies, making it highly flexible and scalable for advanced UAV networks.

Compact, Lightweight, and Versatile

With its compact size (57 x 30 x 12.8 mm) and lightweight design (14.5 g), the RFD900x is perfectly suited for aerial platforms where space and weight are at a premium.

Conclusion

Our partnership with RFDesign has been a cornerstone in building a high-reliability communication system for our UAV platform. The RFD900x bundle has proven to be the ideal solution, enabling stable, high-speed, long-range data links that support our operations from takeoff to landing.

With RFDesign, we fly farther—better connected.