Since the last show, Tellumat’s empowerment credentials have improved to a Level 2 BBBEE rating and coupled with its value-adding supplier status, customers can now count 156.25% of their purchasing spend with Tellumat towards their BBBEE procurement total.

This is the seventh AAD exhibition since its inception, and Tellumat’s focus is on two core capabilities, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Avionics. “The primary goal is to stage our pure defence, aerospace and air traffic management portfolios, as well as Tellumat Communication Solutions’ professional services”, says Brian Ferguson, Marketing Manager for Tellumat Defence.

The requirement to positively identify platforms in the combat system environment is critical, and IFF offers a unique and secure means of providing such identification. Standardisation of modes, codes and cryptographic keys ensures interoperability between different arms of service.

Equally crucial is the provision of cryptographic management systems which provide customers with the means of developing and maintaining national secure IFF capabilities.

“Utilising common industry standards, protocols and Built-In Test (BIT) capabilities enable our IFF products to be quickly and easily integrated into platforms operating in the combat environment”, says Ferguson. Similarly, Integrated Logistic Support (ILS), including test benches and IFF testers are essential to the successful maintenance capabilities for IFF systems over their life cycles.

Tellumat Defence will launch their latest edition to their family of IFF products, the PR-4000 IFF interrogator. This medium to long range 19’’ rack-mounted IFF / Mode S interrogator offers compatibility with various cryptographic computer types.

On the UAV Avionics front, Tellumat Defence continues to be optimistic. David Jackson, UAS Product Manager, believes UAV avionics growth will persist and even improve over the coming years and for that reason Tellumat Defence has not only started making the avionics smaller and lighter but they have also become smarter about what they have as part of their solutions.

Tellumat will use AAD 2012 as a platform to announce the arrival of their most recent customised UAV avionics range. The Flight Mission Computer (FMC), designed with capabilities that can handle communications, payloads and failures does everything that a commercial FMC can do and is compatible with any commercial UAV.

On display will be Tellumat Defence’s new Sensor Pack, combining all sensor elements into one box, offering clients a complete GPS / Inertial Navigation System (INS) product. It weighs less than 400 g and can be accommodated by any UAV size between 5 kg and 450 kg.

“Everything around a UAV is mass-based - it is the single biggest driver apart from the cost. Together our FMC and Sensor Pack can save about 18 kg and thus provide 24 litres of additional fuel depending on the UAV”, says Jackson.

Also on display will be Tellumat Defence’s own light-weight, practical, rugged and weather proof tracking system. “Equipped with two grid antennas, the small rotator is cost effective, yet viable for several users”, adds Jackson.

The DL-5000, a 3 kg light-weight payload data link unit, will also be on view. It can provide radio capability over a very long distance. This solves the problem of small commercial UAVs currently in the market which are unable to manage data links.

Moving to solutions, Tellumat makes a point of understanding its customer’s operational objectives and assembles technologies and systems that emphasize the attainment of these objectives. By alleviating risk in managing complex technologies, customers are able to focus on their key operational obligations. The top down approach within an enterprise architecture framework ensures alignment with operational outcomes at each phase of the technology acquisition. Tellumat’s solutions focus is on command and control in the defence, public safety, transport, CNI protection and oil and gas sectors in Southern Africa.