AEVEX Aerospace

1. Abstract / Summary

AEVEX Aerospace, a leader in tactical ISR, autonomy, and loitering munitions, has integrated Doodle Labs’ Mesh Rider Radios across a portfolio of unmanned platforms, including the Atlas loitering munition, Dominator Group 2 UAS, and a series of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Leveraging Doodle Labs’ RM-2025-62M3 (Mini) and RM-2025-62W3 (Wearable) models operating in the 1600–2500 MHz Hex Band, AEVEX enables secure, long-range, low-latency communication across air, land, and sea domains. This multi-platform adoption supports real-time ISR, precision targeting, and autonomous teaming in some of the most challenging operational environments.

2. Background

AEVEX provides full-spectrum ISR and unmanned system solutions to U.S. and allied defense organizations. Their platforms are built for rapid fielding, modular integration, and network-centric operations in support of tactical edge missions. Across these platforms, uninterrupted communications is a fundamental requirement—for situational awareness, command and control, and coordinated autonomy.

Doodle Labs radios are embedded across three key programs:

Atlas Loitering Munition – Designed for ISR-to-strike missions, including denied environments
Dominator UAV – A Group 2 UAS for surveillance, payload delivery, and mesh networking
Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) – Autonomous maritime systems for reconnaissance and interdiction

3. The Program or Mission Need

AEVEX needed a single, software-defined radio platform capable of:

Operating across extended ranges with low latency
Adapting to dynamic RF conditions (urban, maritime, contested airspace)
Enabling multi-node mesh networking and UAV-to-ground, UAV-to-UAV, and surface-to-air communications
Fitting into the tight SWaP envelope of Group 2 UAS and loitering munition form factors
Supporting military-grade encryption and data protection

A modular communications stack was essential—one that could scale across multiple autonomous systems without adding complexity.

4. The Evaluation Landscape

AEVEX evaluated several tactical radio solutions on the market, with a focus on SWaP-C tradeoffs, bandwidth flexibility, and ease of integration. While legacy vendors offered robust links, many lacked the modularity or form factor flexibility needed for loitering munitions and mobile maritime platforms. In contrast, Doodle Labs’ Mesh Rider Radios delivered a unified communications architecture that scaled from handheld GCS to embedded drone systems.

5. Selection Criteria

AEVEX’s decision matrix prioritized:

1600–2500 MHz frequency range for operational spectrum agility
Field-proven performance in airborne, maritime, and low-SWaP environments
Compatibility with existing flight controllers, autopilots, and ground stations
Support for multi-hop mesh networking, key for unmanned teaming and long-range relay
Compliance with encryption and security requirements for defense programs

6. Why the Partner Chose Doodle Labs

Doodle Labs was selected for its combination of technical performance, deployment readiness, and platform versatility. Specific reasons included:

Hex Band support (1600–2500 MHz) enables operation in globally available, less congested spectrum
Integration-ready form factors: Mini for onboard use, Wearable for ground control and mobile command
Proven success on DoD programs—including Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) selection for the DoD’s Blue UAS ecosystem
Open interface and CLI support enabled AEVEX engineers to rapidly configure radios per platform requirements
Mesh Rider OS offered scalable support for point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and full mesh architectures

7. Solution Overview

AEVEX integrated two radio models depending on mission and platform configuration:

RM-2025-62M3 (Mini): Embedded within the Atlas loitering munition and Dominator UAV, optimized for low SWaP and flight-critical applications
RM-2025-62W3 (Wearable): Used in ground control systems, vehicle-mounted relay units, and as base stations for USVs

Operating within the 1600–2500 MHz range, all radios use the same Mesh Rider OS, allowing seamless configuration across systems. Mesh capabilities are used to create ad hoc networks between UAVs, USVs, and mobile control stations, enabling cooperative autonomy, shared ISR, and resilient C2.

8. Program or Mission Win

AEVEX platforms equipped with Doodle Labs radios have demonstrated:

Full-motion video streaming at range in contested environments
Autonomous teaming between Atlas and Dominator platforms using mesh links
Real-time command of USVs beyond line of sight using low-profile marine antenna systems
Seamless handoff between mobile control stations without link drop
Enhanced operator situational awareness and faster kill chain execution in tactical demonstrations

In one joint exercise, Atlas units maintained encrypted mesh connectivity with Dominator UAVs and surface control stations, even as each node moved independently through a dynamic urban environment.

9. Platform or System Highlights

Atlas Loitering Munition

Mission: ISR-to-strike; man-in-the-loop or autonomous engagement
Integration: RM-2025-62M3 Mini radio with encrypted telemetry/video links
Result: Low-latency video and C2 in contested RF spaces

Dominator UAV

Mission: Tactical surveillance and multi-node mesh hub
Integration: RM-2025-62M3 Mini + mesh-enabled GCS with RM-2025-62W3
Result: Persistent ISR with dynamic re-tasking over large areas

AEVEX USV Family

Mission: Maritime ISR and interdiction in GPS-denied and cluttered RF environments
Integration: RM-2025-62W3 embedded in surface control system and optionally in the USV
Result: Stable surface-to-air and surface-to-shore links, supporting joint manned-unmanned operations

10. Performance Validation

Across air and surface deployments, Doodle Labs radios have delivered:

Up to 11.6 Mbps UDP throughput in airborne testing at short to mid-range
Reliable communication up to 328 km LOS with mesh relays in UAV tests
Latency under 10 ms, even during multi-hop mesh routing
RSSI > -80 dBm at extended ranges with robust error correction and adaptive modulation
AES-256 encryption and secure over-the-air firmware management

Performance consistency across diverse environments—urban, maritime, and mountainous—was a key contributor to AEVEX’s decision to standardize across programs.

11. Strategic Impact

Doodle Labs’ platform approach aligns directly with AEVEX’s product strategy:

One radio architecture for air, land, and sea reduces integration time and simplifies logistics
Mesh networking unlocks new mission profiles, including distributed ISR, autonomous teaming, and relay-based communications
Software-defined flexibility enables future upgrades, without requiring hardware swap
Compatibility with Blue UAS and other open autonomy frameworks supports rapid procurement and deployment cycles

This unified communications backbone gives AEVEX the ability to field rapidly evolving mission capabilities while maintaining resilience at the tactical edge.

12. Looking Ahead

AEVEX and Doodle Labs continue to explore deeper integration points, including:

Edge AI fusion with mesh links for autonomous target classification
Dynamic spectrum routing across multiple frequency bands
Cross-domain teaming (UAV + USV) with shared mesh control planes
Enhanced onboard encryption and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM)

As tactical operations evolve toward multi-domain, multi-node environments, this partnership sets the foundation for truly networked autonomous systems.