As a design and test specialist, please comment on the importance of designing and innovations at education level for students for A&D.
The initial step towards cultivating valuable skillsets begins at the grass root level. There is a need to inculcate the required drive at an educational level, to garner interest in the field and in turn be able to draw on the talents of a thriving ingenious community. The key to sustain success of any business depends on the company’s ability to innovate. Staying abreast of the industry trends and setting new benchmarks is critical for successful growth, which is achieved through innovation. In turn, the capability to innovate, is influenced by the availability and utilization of resourceful skills.
The Aerospace and Defense industry requires constant design upgrades and innovation- from the latest equipment’s, materials and design technique to the best of minds coming together to design a robust product. For such talent to flourish, students need to focus on sharpening rudimentary skills in inventive problem solving and innovation. In the A&D industry, innovation has become all the more critical owing to the rapid advancement in products and business models.
As the world’s premier measurement company and a committed global citizen, Keysight Technologies takes an active role in supporting higher education and research. We are committed to making an ongoing contribution to the educational infrastructure in the communities that we serve, by stimulating education and research in areas of importance to the next generation of engineers’ future; contributing time and expertise to research programs and in-lab teaching.
How do you look at business opportunities in India A&D sector?
A big business opportunity is brewing for the test and measurement (T&M) industry in India, owing to the various government initiatives such as Make in India and Digital India. There is optimism in the market currently and we have seen number of policy developments which have brought back the trust on ‘India growth story’. Initiatives like Make in India, 100 smart cities, digital India, defense manufacturing push, all of these are having a positive impact on Indian economy.
Make in India has already begun to see some ground actions. We are hearing stories around a host of MNCs and global manufacturing giants looking to set their base in the country. We strongly believe in the bright future of defense manufacturing in India. As the government pushing for a comprehensive domestic defense manufacturing ecosystem, many of the global A&D biggies have shown interest in our country.
Initiatives of this nature proliferate the demand of T&M in the manufacturing sector particularly. With the rise in industrial production and developments, companies are constantly in need for T&M equipment to ensure effective designing and functioning of the products. Indian government is promoting indigenization and investing in home grown technologies (LCA, Missile technology, RADAR technology, EW system, Drones, etc.). Large private investment is another proof of domestic demand and its focus on indigenization.
Please share with us Keysight strength in military radar testing from simulation to operational troubleshooting.
As technology evolves so do the challenges in detection, avoidance, electronic warfare and countermeasures. In all cases, the testing of today’s systems will benefit from high-performance test equipment — analog and vector signal generators, spectrum analyzers, vector signal analyzers, vector network analyzers and more. From simulations of an arriving wavefront with multiple emitters to testing of precision components in a receiver, our solutions are ready for the complexity of radar test and EW test applications. It is imperative that today’s system engineers have the highest performance test equipment and simulation solutions.
- View chirped radar signals in the time, frequency and modulation domains using the 89601B vector signal analysis (VSA) software.
- Combine a logic analyzer with the 89601B software to perform digital VSA on digital baseband and digital IF signals.
- Simulate Radar/EW Architectures with SystemVue software to flesh out required RF and digital baseband specifications for effective deployment.
- Measure and analyze chirp and Barker-coded signals with bandwidths up to 63 GHz in the Z-series scope.
- Use 4 GHz combined I/Q bandwidth (up converted to up to 44 GHz) and 14-bit resolution simultaneously in the compact, M8190A arbitrary waveform generator (EW)
- Characterize nonlinear behavior in active devices up to 26.5 GHz with PNA-X microwave network analyzers
- Combine simulations with actual HW measurements through connectivity and measurement platforms such as 89601B VSA and simulation software (pulse building, SystemVue), signal generators, arbitrary waveform generators and signal analyzers.
Additional products & services: Signal source analyzers; phase noise measurement solutions; noise figure analyzers; analog and vector signal generators; custom test systems; custom RF switch matrices; power meters; power supplies; microwave counters; system switching; simulation software (SystemVue); training and application engineering services; repair and calibration services
Today wireless technologies pose an escalating challenge of hacking and data security for intelligence and Defense sector. Please comment
Ever-faster growth in the types and varieties of wireless technologies poses an escalating challenge for intelligence and homeland-security agencies. Whether the mission is intercept and collect, detect and eradicate, monitor and track, or trend and analyze, our diverse technology base and deep familiarity with wireless communications ― gives our customers an edge that increases the probability of earlier detection, assessment and response.
Keysight solutions for signals intelligence include signal, intercept and collection systems, frequency management tools and high end test equipment for developers of signals intelligence systems.
- Perform High-Speed, High-Resolution Spectrum Searches for Signal Isolation, Classification and IQ recording allowing Service Providers to find “Clear” Spectrum using the N6820ES Signal Surveyor 4D.
- Demodulate analog and digital modulation in analog or digital format using 89601 VSA software
- Combine a PSA Series signal analyzer with the 89601A software in the 89650S VSA bundle to perform advanced RF and modulation analysis from 3 Hz to 26.5 GHz
- Carry exceptional performance into the field for spectrum monitoring with the N9340A handheld RF spectrum analyzer
- Collaborate with our Advanced Programs team for assistance in technology selection, custom device fabrication and more
- Generation of COTS waveforms using Advanced Design System Wireless Libraries
- Arbitrary generation of I/Q waveforms with accurate real-world impairments using Advanced Design System (ADS) Ptolemy simulator and connected solutions to verify virtual and hardware prototypes
Additional products & services: Ultrawideband VSAs; vector signal generators; training and application engineering services; repair and calibration services, Advanced Design System (ADS) software
Please share with us Keysight market strategy for Indian UAVs product market.
In the past, UAVs have mostly been used for military and special operation applications. But it is gaining more civil applications now in the areas such as commercial aerial surveillance, journalism, commercial and motion picture filming, search and rescue, and nonmilitary security work, such as inspection of grid system. Civil UAV is usually remotely controlled by a pilot on the ground, and wireless communication is adopted between the UAV and its remote controller. The wireless communication system on a civil UAV usually works in the ISM bands (Industrial, Scientific and Medical bands), e.g. 433 MHz, 815 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. Like the other electronic products working in the same bands, the UAVs have to comply with the various radio emission standards defined by each government. Most civil UAV vendors adopt off-the-shelf FHSS/OFDM/Wi-Fi chipsets or modules to develop their own products and have to test the UAVs from design phase to production phase to make sure their UAVs are transmitting wireless signals compliant to the various radio emission standards.
Since FHSS/DSSS/OFDM are mature technologies, certain vendors often prefer to test several key RF specifications instead of a comprehensive RF test, especially in the production phase. A cost-effective RF test solution based on the Keysight’s N9320B and N9322C basic spectrum analyzers (BSAs) is ideal in this case.
Transmitter RF test
The device under test (DUT) is set to test mode so it will only transmit in a pre-defined frequency. Frequency hopping is disabled. The N9320B and N9322C BSAs can make quick measurements of the following items:
– Max RF output power and power spectral density (not for FHSS transmitters)
– Occupied bandwidth
– Spectrum emission mask (masks are different for frequency hopping transmitters and non-frequency-hopping transmitters)
Antenna test
The N9322C BSA offers a built-in VSWR bridge to enable one-port return loss, VSWR, insertion loss, and distance-to-fault measurement capabilities for frequencies up to 7 GHz. The valley point of return loss measurement represents the resonant frequency of the antenna.
Please introduce in brief “FieldFox: Industry’s first 50 GHz handheld analyzer”.
Introduced in September 2015, Keysight added a six millimeter-wave models to its family of FieldFox handheld analyzers. This flagship model is the industry’s first handheld combination analyzer to provide coverage to 50 GHz. With more built-in capabilities than similar analyzers, FieldFox can replace three or four single-function instruments – benchtop or handheld – that are typically used for maintenance and troubleshooting of systems that operate at or above Ka-band frequencies. A FieldFox combination analyzer provides unprecedented functionality and value at about half the cost of each equivalent benchtop instrument.
Three combination-analyzer models cover 32, 44 or 50 GHz and provide spectrum analysis, vector network analysis and cable and antenna testing in a rugged, portable unit. The three spectrum analyzer models cover the same frequency range. In all six new models, spectrum measurements are up to eight times faster than those made with comparable analyzers. FieldFox millimeter-wave analyzers are also three pounds lighter than similar units from other vendors.
The FieldFox family is optimized for field testing. The fully sealed enclosure – no fans or vents – is compliant with US MIL-PRF-28800F Class 2 standards and is also type tested to meet MIL-STD-810G requirements for operation in explosive environments (Method 511.5, Procedure 1). FieldFox analyzers are also type tested to meet IEC/EN 60529 IP53 requirements for protection from dust and water.
The analyzers offer a broad array of functionality that is software upgradeable, enabling users to choose the capabilities they need initially and add others later. Examples include vector voltmeter, TDR cable measurements, built-in power meter, pulse measurements, spectrum analyzer time gating, interference analyzer (with spectrogram), and GPS receiver.
