Rugged EW & ISR Mission Data Recorders
EW and ISR missions break when the recorder cannot keep up with the sensor chain. Packet loss, timing drift, and broken metadata degrade the intelligence product before exploitation even starts.
Ampex builds rugged EW/ISR data recorders for airborne ISR platforms, pods, UAVs, ground systems, maritime collection, and fixed-site missions that require capturing, securing, and managing high-value mission data at the tactical edge.
These systems are built for the full mission record. That includes RF activity, SIGINT, radar, EO/IR, full-motion video, telemetry, avionics, bus traffic, and platform state, all captured within a single architecture with accurate timing and secure storage.
Built for multi-sensor collection
Modern EW/ISR payloads do not produce one clean stream. They produce mixed traffic across packet captures, IRIG 106 formats, video, mission networks, timing references, and avionics interfaces, which must remain correlated for exploitation and post-mission analysis.
Ampex supports software-defined recording and broad data-type handling through a Linux-based open architecture that can capture diverse mission data without requiring a new hardware stack whenever the interface mix changes.
SIGINT and radar recording at speed
Wideband RF, SIGINT, and radar collection require sustained throughput and storage depth that conventional hardware often cannot hold. Ampex publishes systems that scale from compact edge platforms to rack-scale architectures, including configurations supporting up to 100 Gbps sustained recording per system and storage architectures that support over 300 TB-class removable capacity in high-rate deployments.
For smaller platforms, the portfolio also includes compact, SWaP-C-optimized systems built for pods, UAVs, and other constrained integrations, with options featuring NVMe storage, 10GbE-class interfaces, and rugged packaging for harsh environments.
UAV, pod, and SWaP-C platforms
Small platforms impose hard limits on size, weight, power, and thermal margin. Ampex includes compact, rugged systems built specifically for pods, UAVs, and other constrained platforms, such as TuffLITE, featuring NVMe storage, 10GbE, 1GbE, 2.5GbE, video, and RS-422 interfaces, all in a 2.5-pound package.
That gives designers a path to secure ingest, recording, pass-through, and playback on platforms where a larger recorder will not survive integration review.
EO/IR and FMV recording
EO/IR and full-motion video collection is only useful if the frames and metadata survive intact. Ampex offers true uncompressed video recording that captures raw frames bit for bit while preserving metadata, supporting imagery exploitation and AI/ML processing where fidelity matters.
Compressed video workflows are also supported when programs need to manage downlink bandwidth while retaining critical mission scenes onboard for later analysis.
Secure mission data handling
Sensitive mission data has to be protected in storage, in transfer, and during post-mission offload. Ampex supports AES-256, FIPS-140, CSfC, and configuration-based Type 1 encryption options across its rugged recording portfolio.
Ampex also offers a secure removable-media offload workflow through SmartDock, a protected bridge for download, key handling, and post-mission transfer of encrypted media without removing the full recording system from the platform.
Open Architecture and edge compute
Programs increasingly expect the recorder to do more than store data. Ampex Common Compute Environment, or ACCE, provides software-defined recording, accurate timestamping, synchronization with external time sources such as GPS, IRIG, and IEEE 1588, file indexing, third-party software integration, and zero-data-loss capabilities for mission-critical capture.
That architecture lets the recorder sit closer to the sensor as part of the edge compute fabric, supporting acquisition, storage, management, and mission applications in the same ruggedized environment.
Key capabilities
- Captures EW, ISR, SIGINT, radar, EO/IR, FMV, telemetry, bus, and mission data in one architecture.
- Supports software-defined recording, timing synchronization, indexing, and zero-data-loss functions through ACCE.
- Scales from compact SWaP-C systems for pods and UAVs to rack-scale 100 Gbps recording architectures.
- Supports true uncompressed video with metadata preservation for high-fidelity exploitation workflows.
- Supports encrypted storage, secure removable media, and protected post-mission offload workflows.