At the UTAC 2025 training and evaluation event in Perry, Georgia, CRG Defense stood out by showing how fast innovation can move from concept to flight.
The team arrived ready to showcase AeroVox, a two-way communication payload that gives first responders and tactical teams the ability to communicate clearly and directly from the air. The system combines a high-quality directional microphone with a powerful loudspeaker, allowing users to deliver instructions, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback without landing the drone. For units working in high-pressure environments, the ability to communicate in real time can make a critical difference.
During the event, CRG Defense connected with Alabama-based drone technology company PDW to explore integrating AeroVox onto one of its drone platforms, the C100 sUAS. The fit was close, but it needed a custom adapter plate to complete the setup. That challenge quickly became an opportunity. With support from UTAC’s Rapid Prototyping Shop, the team measured, designed, and 3D-printed a new mount on-site. Within hours, the custom plate was installed, and the AeroVox-equipped drone was in the air, transmitting clear voice communication across the range that same afternoon.
The rapid turnaround demonstrated more than technical capability. It showed what can happen when collaboration, creativity, and readiness come together in the field. As Joe Althaus, director of product-mission fit at CRG Defense, explained, “UTAC provides the perfect environment to turn ideas into action. Hands-on teamwork like this is how we keep operators connected and mission-ready.”
AeroVox represents a step forward in aerial communication technology. The system weighs under two kilograms and can integrate with a wide range of drone platforms, making it adaptable to diverse missions such as search and rescue, crisis negotiation, and emergency response. With a speech transmission index of 0.6 or higher and sound pressure levels exceeding 80 decibels at ten meters, AeroVox delivers clarity even in noisy conditions.
At UTAC 2025, CRG Defense not only demonstrated a new capability but also reinforced a core principle of its work: real innovation happens when technology meets the needs of the mission. AeroVox keeps teams connected, informed, and ready—wherever the operation takes them.
Visit the CRG Defense AeroVox website for more information.
CRG Defense engineer designs needed part to attach the company’s AeroVox payload to the PDW drone.
After 3D printing the part using the UTAC Rapid Prototyping Shop, the engineer prepares the new custom adapter plate for use.
CRG Defense engineer designs needed part to attach the company’s AeroVox payload to the PDW drone.
The PDW drone bearing the AeroVox payload takes to the sky, impressing bystanders with the loud and clear communication.