TEKEVER, ViaSat Enter Strategic Alliance to Expand the Civilian Use of Drones with Advanced Satellite Communications
Maritime Monitoring and Critical Infrastructure Surveillance to be the First Planned Missions for Demonstration
PARIS, June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The TEKEVER Group, a leading Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) manufacturer, and ViaSat, an innovator in broadband and communication technologies and services, have announced a strategic alliance to expand the civilian use of drones with advanced satellite communications. This joint collaboration will bring ViaSat's communication technologies onto TEKEVER's drone platforms to push the boundaries of UAS range in civilian Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) applications. Research and development (R&D) activities will combine TEKEVER platforms and ViaSat hardware to develop communication systems for current and next-generation civilian drone applications.
"ViaSat is on the forefront of satellite communication technologies and we're proud to join them in a quest to innovate the civilian UAS market with forward-thinking long-range applications," said Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER Group chief operating officer, during the 2015 Paris Air Show. "This partnership will increase our capability to deliver more effective solutions for multiple mission profiles, including maritime surveillance, emergency response and monitoring of critical infrastructures."
"TEKEVER is delivering state of the art unmanned systems to both the military and civilian markets. Joining them will allow us to adapt our technology to new types of applications that we believe will change the future of civilian BLOS UAS applications," said Stefano Vaccaro, managing director of ViaSat Antenna Systems Division, Switzerland. "This has a significant worldwide market potential that aligns with the strategic roadmap of both companies."
ViaSat technologies will include satellite communication products that are robust and can be integrated with Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems driving the use of drones in "unsegregated" or civilian airspace. The products that will be developed through the TEKEVER and ViaSat strategic alliance will expand the range of civilian service applications for drone usage through enabling smaller platforms and longer missions.
The first use cases that will be demonstrated include: maritime monitoring and critical infrastructure surveillance.
About TEKEVER
TEKEVER is a technological group based out of Portugal that develops innovative technologies for the Enterprise, Aerospace, Defense and Security Markets. TEKEVER contributes to the modernization and evolution of these markets, by developing and delivering advanced technology and products that improve the quality of communication, information, and execution capabilities in organizations. In the UAV sector, TEKEVER is a leading OEM platforms manufacturer and systems provider. The technology and products created in the Aerospace and Defense area have already resulted in three spin-offs and several successful product lines. For more information please visit TEKEVER at www.tekever.com, or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About ViaSat
ViaSat engineers creative ways to connect people to new communication applications with networking systems and services that enable a fast, cost-efficient, secure, and high-performance connection to virtually any location. The Company offers Exede® high-speed internet and broadband services in North America; worldwide mobile satellite services, including global tracking and messaging as well as high-speed in-flight internet; satellite broadband networking systems; Wi-Fi and other hotspot operations, support, and management systems; network-centric military communication systems for the U.S. and allied governments; cybersecurity; and communication system design. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, ViaSat employs more than 3,400 people worldwide in the areas of technology development, customer service, and network operations. For more information, please visit ViaSat at www.viasat.com, or follow the Company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements about new types of communication systems that will change the future of BLOS UAS applications, driving the use of drones and expansion of civilian service applications for drone usage. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to successfully implement ViaSat's satcom technology used for TEKEVER drone projects; the anticipated timeline or at all; risks associated with the drone project, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance or the performance of its partners; negative audits by the U.S. or European governments; continued turmoil in the global business environment and economic conditions; delays in approving government or commercial budgets and cuts in government or commercial expenditures; changes in relationships with, or the financial condition of, key customers or suppliers to the TEKEVER drone relationship; reliance on a limited number of third parties to manufacture and supply ViaSat's products; increased competition and other factors affecting the communications and defense industries generally; the effect of adverse regulatory changes on ViaSat's ability to sell products and services; ViaSat's level of indebtedness and ability to comply with applicable debt covenants; ViaSat's involvement in litigation, including intellectual property claims and litigation to protect proprietary technology; and ViaSat's dependence on a limited number of key employees. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in ViaSat's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including ViaSat's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. ViaSat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Copyright © 2015 ViaSat, Inc. All rights reserved. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Exede is a registered trademark of ViaSat Inc.
SOURCE ViaSat
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