UNMANNED AIRPLANE TRANSMITS HDTV SIGNAL JOINT NASA-JAPANESE VENTURE WILL AID TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - United States and Japanese researchers announced the successful relay of high-definition television signals from an unmanned aircraft flying at an altitude of 65,000 feet.

The testing was done in two flights off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai in June and a third this month by AeroVironment's Pathfinder-Plus flying wing, National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said.

``It's absolutely amazing what the right vantage point can deliver,'' said John Del Frate, project manager for solar-powered aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. ``It was better than any HDTV system I have ever seen in the United States - virtually photographic quality - it was very impressive.''

The researchers also were able to relay mobile telephone signals and, at an altitude of about 21,000 feet, establish an Internet link.

``This success implies significant potential and a broad scope for HAPS telecommunications applications,'' said Ryu Miura of Japan's Communications Research Laboratories. ``The test data will be very useful in the development of future commercial telecommunications systems.''

Raytheon Co. was able to relay a high-speed broadband signal via the Proteus aircraft two years ago, but Proteus was at an altitude of about 45,000 feet, according to NASA.

The HDTV link was established for more than two hours, using only 1 watt of transmitting power. The signal blanketed an area equivalent to a large metro area with a very high quality signal-to-noise ratio typical of fiber optic systems, far superior to what traditional TV broadcast systems can achieve, according to officials with the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

Japan's Communication Research Laboratory and the Telecommunications Advancement Organization of Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications developed and operated the telecommunications payloads and funded the flights.

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center provided the use of the aircraft.

AeroVironment of Monrovia converted the aircraft to carry the telecommunications equipment.

``AeroVironment was excited to have demonstrated that our solar-powered aircraft can act as a reliable, secure, 12-mile-high tower for the sophisticated communication payloads built by our Japanese friends,'' said Robert Curtin, director of the AeroVironment's design center in Simi Valley. ``This mission was exactly what the Pathfinder-Plus and its family of solar- powered aircraft are hoping to do on a continual routine basis.''

Later this year, AeroVironment will fly the Pathfinder-Plus over Kauai to survey its coffee plantations.

NASA and AeroVironment engineers also are working to extend stratospheric flight time of solar-powered aircraft, so they can stay up for as long as two weeks.

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U.S. and Japanese researchers have relayed high-definition television signals from an AeroVironment Pathfinder-Plus.

NASA