PPM Systems
PPM Systems specialises in products for government and military sectors, supplying fully customised RF systems designed to address customer-specific SIGINT and COMINT requirements including:
- RF over fibre optic solutions
- Antenna solutions up to 40 GHz
- RF filters and signal conditioning components up to 40 GHz with high power
- Signal capture and baseband processing hardware
- Complex RF signal analysis and simulation equipment.
PPM Systems recognises the frequent need to support tight timescales and offers a highly responsive service – from fast prototyping to advice on choosing the best technology. The company also has extensive experience in supporting applications requiring high levels of data security.
RF over Fibre Systems
The transmission of RF signals over optical fibre allows secure antenna links with significantly lower loss than co-axial, electrical, equivalents. They can be used in in defence, force protection and homeland security applications such as:
- VSAT / satellite communications wideband signal transfer
- Command and control / tracking and telemetry (TT&C) information distribution
- Surveillance & signal intelligence (SIGINT)
- Waveform agnostic tactical radio links (VLF, HF, VHF, UHF, SHF, GSM)
- IED detection and force protection antenna remoting or tethered solutions
- Secure network data centre timing and GPS/GNSS data distribution
- OEM military equipment.
Advantages of RF over Fibre
We frequently integrate our core fibre optic transmission and reception technology with third-party systems. Carrying RF signals over fibre has many advantages including:
- No signal loss or degradation
- Exceptionally wide bandwidth
- Frequency and modulation agnostic
- Providing a non-galvanic connection
- Path length up to hundreds of km
- EMC & EMP resilience
- Multiplexing/combining with no intermodulation issues
- Higher Instantaneous Bandwidth (IBW) compared to digital transport schemes.
Advanced RF Signal Processing and Channel Emulators
PPM Systems is a value-added distributor of IZT products, including multi format GNSS signal generation equipment, full spectrum record and replay simulators and multichannel signal emulation. The products address existing and emerging markets such as:
- Multichannel LEO/MEO satellite constellation simulation
- Complex radio systems such as MANET and MESH MIMO
- RF simulation for testing Modems/COMINT/SIGINT systems
- RF spectrum analysis using recorded and simulated RF environments.
Software-Defined Radio Systems
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) is becoming the dominant technology in radio communications, with many advantages over more traditional radio systems, including:
- Wider operating ranges
- High instantaneous bandwidth
- Increased operating freedom
- Reduced total cost of ownership.
PPM Systems manufactures the Crossbow multi-role SDR scanning/decoding system, designed to provide special operations users with actionable, real-time, mission-critical data on the electromagnetic environment.
Antennas
PPM Systems provides antennas for a range of defence applications, including communications, jamming, spoofing and threat-emissions. Antenna bandwidths range from 2 MHz to 40 GHz in static, vehicle and manpack configurations, including aviation rated antennas.
Complex antenna solutions for radar simulation applications can provide high power RF handling with multiple bands, in extremely demanding environmental conditions. PPM Systems can design and manufacture bespoke antennas to meet specific requirements.
RF Filtering and Conditioning
PPM Systems offers bespoke filter solutions for satellite communication, military and other sectors using a range of filtering technologies. We can provide individual filters or a complete solution–system integration, as well as filter design, test, evaluation and manufacture.
Antenna Remoting
FORAX (Fibre Optic Remote Antenna eXtension) radio communications equipment provides RF over fibre connectivity between radio equipment and its antennas. The products incorporate advanced RF over fibre systems and innovative RF technologies for military, civil and industrial markets.
