The payload RF spectrum — what we lift on our aerostats

Key takeaways

TL;DR. Aerobavovna is the aerostat platform; the comms payloads come from their makers — Silvus, Persistent Systems, TrellisWare and DTC on the MANET side, Radionor's phased-array link, and L3Harris Falcon III. Lifting these radios hundreds of metres up doesn't change the band — it extends the range.

MANET radios flown as payloads: Silvus, Persistent Systems, TrellisWare, DTC
Plus Radionor phased-array link, L3Harris Falcon III; Ukrainian video: Teletactica, Sine
Aerobavovna = platform only; radios are the manufacturers'
Elevating the antenna keeps the band, extends line-of-sight range (bands per 2025 datasheets)

I put this together for internal use — a quick reference for which comms payload sits in which band when we're integrating it onto an aerostat. It turned out useful enough that I figured I'd share it.

Every system in the chart is something we actually fly as a payload. Aerobavovna is the platform; the radios come from their manufacturers — Silvus, Persistent Systems, TrellisWare and DTC on the MANET side, Radionor's phased-array link, L3Harris Falcon III, and Ukrainian video systems from Teletactica and Sine.

Why it matters: lifting these radios on an aerostat puts the antenna hundreds of metres up. The band doesn't change — the range does. A ground-level line-of-sight link becomes a much longer one.

Bands per manufacturer datasheets (2025). Modular-RF radios (Persistent, DTC) show selectable front-ends.

FAQ

Which radios can an Aerobavovna aerostat carry?

MANET radios from Silvus, Persistent Systems, TrellisWare and DTC, Radionor's phased-array link, L3Harris Falcon III, and Ukrainian video systems from Teletactica and Sine.

Does lifting a radio on an aerostat change its frequency band?

No — the band stays the same. Elevating the antenna hundreds of metres extends the line-of-sight range.

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