With over 75 years of aerospace and defence engineering heritage, Chelton is a leading manufacturer of advanced antennas, avionics and land systems. The UK-based firm has pioneered numerous world-firsts in defence communications – from novel static dischargers and radio-silent tuneable antennas to airborne 4G public-safety radios and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for explosive-ordnance detection.
Today Chelton’s field-proven solutions span airborne and terrestrial platforms, providing robust, mission-critical performance in the most demanding environments. Its global, diversified product portfolio is trusted by defence and aerospace integrators worldwide – more than 120 core platforms depend on Chelton’s dynamic communications and navigation systems to protect millions of lives.
Advanced Antenna Solutions for Airborne and Land Platforms
Chelton offers a complete range of high-performance antennas for both airborne antennas and ground use. In the airborne domain, tuneable communication antennas are a standout strength. Chelton’s Tuneable antennas deliver ultra-wideband coverage (30 MHz to 1850 MHz) with world-leading tuning speed and efficiency. Over 60 years of experience have gone into these electronically-tuned VHF/UHF designs, which include traditional blade types, low-profile conformal variants and integrated arrays for aircraft. These antennas support voice, data and SATCOM on combat jets, helicopters and UAVs. Chelton’s portfolio also includes specialized HF/ADF antennas for long-range communication with minimal drag and weight. By optimizing form factor and performance, Chelton HF antennas ensure reliable comms in challenging flight conditions.
On the ground, Chelton provides rugged land antenna systems to support tactical radios, jammers and data links. The company supplies high-power HF/VHF/UHF vehicle antennas, broadband troposcatter dishes and microwave SATCOM arrays that endure harsh battlefield conditions. Its land antennas come in single-band, multi-band and broadband configurations for modern combat nets, software-defined radios and strategic datalinks. Chelton’s designs are battle-proven, capable of withstanding vibration, weather and electromagnetic interference. The land-antenna range even supports mounted Ground & Building installations, ensuring permanent or deployable ground stations survive the toughest environments. Combined with explosive ordnance detection radar sensors and air traffic control radomes, Chelton’s antenna portfolio delivers complete spectrum coverage for defence communications.
Key Antenna Features
• Wideband Tuneability: Chelton’s tuneable antenna range covers HF through UHF and into L/S-band, enabling multi-role communications on a single platform.
• Low-Drag Designs: Innovations like low-profile V/UHF antennas and conformal arrays minimize aerodynamic impact on fast jets.
• Specialist Microwave Arrays: Hundreds of high-gain, printed array and omni-directional microwave antennas (2.5 GHz to 18 GHz) are available for SATCOM and radar applications. These land and airborne microwave antennas are tailored to customer specs, with thousands of standard designs on hand.
• Rugged Land Systems: Chelton’s land antennas include field-proven whips with flexible mountings and optional spike/elevation kits for vehicle and mast deployment. Many designs are hardened for jamming environments (ECM) and rapid repositioning.
By covering everything from lightweight comm antennas to hardened ground radars, Chelton ensures defence platforms have the right antenna solution for every mission.
Cutting-Edge Avionics Systems
Chelton’s avionics portfolio supplies the critical electronics that power communication, navigation and situational awareness on defence aircraft. Key solutions include:
• Airborne TETRA: Chelton pioneered military-grade airborne TETRA radios (mission-critical push-to-talk) and now maintains the world’s largest installed base of airborne TETRA systems. These digital radios give pilots and crew secure, interoperable voice/data links for air-ground coordination. Chelton’s TETRA products were first adopted by the UK and are still in use across Europe, the US and beyond. The flexible architecture means they can integrate seamlessly with legacy and next-gen communications.
• Anti-Jam GPS Systems: Chelton delivers high-performance GPS anti-jamming receivers and Assured PNT solutions for navigation. For over 20 years Chelton has developed Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) and multi-channel DACUs (Digital Antenna Control Units) that reject interference. These systems are flight-proven on fighters, MALE UAVs, helicopters and smart munitions. By combining robust crpa antenna with low-latency signal processing, Chelton’s anti-jam GPS ensures “there is no compromise” in positioning accuracy.
• Electronic Warfare Systems: Chelton’s next-generation EW pods and electronic support measures are built on a modular architecture. These systems “replicate and counter evolving threats”, enabling forces to deny adversaries access to the spectrum while protecting friendly sensors. Examples include NATO JEWCS EW training pods and anti-ship missile defense kits. Chelton EW suites cover radar and comms jamming as well as full-spectrum signal intelligence.
• Direction-Finding Antennas: Complementing the above, Chelton offers specialized DF antennas and receivers. These track distress and threat signals (30 MHz–470 MHz), improving situational awareness and search-and-rescue capabilities.
Each avionics product is designed for mission-critical performance: redundant architectures, secure links, and rigorous testing ensure reliability in combat conditions. Together, these avionics systems give military aircraft robust communications, assured navigation, and electronic dominance in high-stakes scenarios.
Rugged Land Systems and Equipment
Chelton’s land systems tie together antennas and avionics into complete solutions for ground and maritime defence. These systems support troop communications, radar operations and safety-critical control functions:
• Vehicle Intercom Systems: Chelton’s military Vehicle Intercom Systems (VIS) are built tough. Over 150,000 units are in service worldwide, making them the top choice for armored vehicles and command platforms. The VIS architecture is modular, supporting a wide range of vehicles (from light patrol to heavy armor) and enabling secure, low-latency voice/data comms under combat conditions. These intercoms meet full military specs (battle-damage resilient, glove-friendly interfaces) and offer both IP/VoIP and legacy analog modes. Recent additions include digital bridging (e.g. the new Tactical Gateway Interface) for modern networked operations.
• Air Traffic Management Systems: Chelton is also a leader in ATC technology for defense. Its Air Traffic Management (ATM) solutions deliver advanced radar display software and safety tools for civil and military controllers on land and sea. Specialists in radar integration, Chelton provides full approach, tower and surface control systems – even for moving platforms. For example, Chelton ported its land-based radar display system onto an aircraft carrier (HMS Queen Elizabeth class), a world-first that enables naval ATC with familiar tools. Chelton’s ATM software includes safety nets, glideslope monitoring and wind-farm mitigation, ensuring controllers maintain situational awareness in even the most complex airspace.
• Explosive Ordnance Detection Systems: Chelton develops high-performance ground-penetrating radar systems for landmine and IED clearance. These GPR mine detectors are designed for the “most demanding requirements”, providing soldiers with reliable subsurface imaging. The EOD portfolio includes man-portable dual-sensor detectors (radar + metal detector) and simulator-based training support (VR systems). By leveraging Chelton’s radar expertise, these EOD systems enhance force protection and accelerate clearance in combat zones.
Each land system is integrated with Chelton’s antennas and software to form a holistic solution. For instance, vehicle intercoms can use Chelton comm antennas, and EOD radars utilize Chelton GPR antennas. Air traffic consoles run on Chelton hardware. This cross-domain capability underscores Chelton’s core strength: innovation meets practicality.
Proven Performance for High-Stakes Environments
Chelton’s integrated portfolio of antennas, avionics and land systems is designed to thrive in complex defense settings. Whether securing a battlefield comms network or managing airspace, Chelton solutions are mission-tailored, interoperable and field-proven. Customers benefit from Chelton’s continuous innovation and support: new products often evolve from real-world feedback, making platforms more reliable and easier to maintain.
As Chelton President Jason Abbott notes, “our globally recognised portfolio spans Antennas, Avionics and Land systems, and more than 120 core platforms depend on us for dynamic products and solutions that protect millions of lives”. This legacy of engineering excellence means that defence prime contractors and militaries can rely on Chelton for resilient communications and navigation, even under hostile jamming or electronic attack.
In summary, Chelton’s 75+ years of expertise manifest in a one-stop shop for aerospace and defence communications. From cutting-edge tuneable antennas to secure PTT radios, and from vehicle intercoms to advanced radar displays, Chelton provides the innovation, quality and service that defence and B2B customers demand. By partnering with Chelton, military organizations gain access to proven solutions that keep pilots, soldiers and systems connected and mission-ready in the most challenging theatres.
