Serastar Technologies Corporation is bringing its VELO non line of sight, secure, global video/data down link and distribution system to the aviation market.
“On the output side . . . we use LTE, we use satellite, we use military radios, [and] we use WiFi; it’s all happening at the same time – what we like to say is simultaneous and redundant,” said Gary Higman, president of Serastar.
The company through their primary integrator AeroBrigham was educating showgoers on the VELO network at this year’s HAI Heli-Expo. The first civil customer, Marion County Sheriff on Ocala Florida has been using VELO since January 2018 with great success, said David Brigham, President of AeroBrigham.
VELO is a non-line of sight, secure LTE network that cannot be hacked, which Higman said is important for law enforcement operators. The network is currently being used by the U.S. Border Patrol.
“Our feed is a real-time global feed,” he said. “Operators on the ground can see what the helicopter is viewing from above”. “Even if you have a helicopter flying in New York, and you happen to be on the beach in Hawaii, [you can] take your phone and see what that helicopter is looking at. There’s about a second-and-a-half global latency, it’s a secure feed all the way to your phone on the beach in Hawaii.” No special software required.
“We’ve tested feeds to Israel, Jakarta, South Korea, [and] Australia.”
While Serastar has been working a lot with the U.S. military, Higman said the VELO network meets Mil-Spec 810G standards. The VELO network is relatively easy to install and doesn’t require STC certification because it is a “bolt-on” box.
“It’s a very unique and revolutionary downlink solution; we’re excited about it,” Higman said.
