Mercury Systems Unveils First SpectrumSeries OpenRFM-Compliant Microwave Transceiver

Rugged, ultra-wideband transceiver built with scalable open system architectures drives the lowest total cost of ownership for electronic warfare applications

Mercury Systems, Inc. recently announced the new SpectrumSeries RFM3101 ultra-wideband microwave transceiver at the 54th Annual AOC International Symposium & Convention in Washington, DC. Designed in accordance with OpenVPX standards, Mercury’s new product integrates OpenRFM-compliant receiver and transmitter building blocks with versatile local oscillator (LO) circuitry to deliver exceptional phase noise and high dynamic range performance. The rugged RFM3101 transceiver, Mercury’s first OpenRFM product in a compact 3U form factor, provides affordable, full spectrum coverage for today’s most advanced electronic protection and electronic attack applications.

OpenRFM is a modular open systems architecture tailored to the requirements of the analog domain. By introducing standard electromechanical, control plane, thermal interfaces and software it streamlines the design and integration of digital and analog capabilities in the same device. Fully compatible with OpenVPX standards, OpenRFM is ideally suited for electronic warfare (EW) applications. Mercury’s new SpectrumSeries microwave transceiver delivers state-of-the-art EW capabilities to military forces today, and its OpenRFM architecture guarantees cost-effective and rapidly-deployed performance enhancements in the future.

In contrast to products built with microwave technology that utilize custom form factors, Mercury’s simultaneous implementation of both OpenVPX and OpenRFM standards enables a modular, low-risk plug-and-play upgrade path to maintain best-of-breed spectral efficiency. By replacing only performance-limiting components and not entire modules or systems, defense prime contractors can lower the total system cost of ownership over the lifetime of a military program. At the same time, US military forces around the globe receive earlier access to the latest microelectronics advances required to counter adversaries competing for dominance over the electromagnetic spectrum.

“The rapid changes occurring in today’s unpredictable threat environment demand the most agile microelectronics,” said Charlie Hudnall, Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Embedded Sensor Processing group. “We have an obligation to equip our warfighters with the most sophisticated solutions as they encounter and engage adversaries on the electromagnetic battlefield. The US warfighter and defense prime contractors can count on Mercury to continue pioneering forward-looking EW capabilities using open architectures without sacrificing affordability, performance or scalability.” Available in both air-cooled and conduction-cooled variants, the new microwave transceiver offers direct digitization up to 6 GHz and operates with guaranteed performance over a frequency range spanning from 6 to 18 GHz with 1 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. SpectrumSeries products are also fully compatible with the Company’s EnsembleSeries of digitization and processing modules. Both SpectrumSeries and EnsembleSeries products are designed and supported by a highly skilled engineering team in Huntsville, Ala. The Company’s domestic Advanced Microelectronics Centers provide affordable, long-term supply continuity in secure and trusted manufacturing environments.

Mercury will be demonstrating the new SpectrumSeries RFM3101 product at the AOC conference in Washington, DC. For application assistance, more product information, or purchase inquiries for the SpectrumSeries RFM3101 transceiver, customers can visit www.mrcy.com/RFM3101.

About Mercury Systems – Innovation That Matters

Mercury Systems is a leading commercial provider of secure sensor and safety-critical processing subsystems. Optimized for customer and mission success, Mercury’s solutions power a wide variety of critical defense and intelligence programs. Headquartered in Andover, Mass., Mercury is pioneering a next-generation defense electronics business model specifically designed to meet the industry’s current and emerging technology needs. For more information, visit www.mrcy.com.