Products · Ground Control & Relay
TBS / ERLS / S-Link
The TBS / ERLS / S-Link system is the ground control and relay backbone for the entire fleet — the layer that keeps every Iron Shield UAV and UGV under command when the spectrum turns hostile and the radio horizon closes in. It provides remote control over connection and video links to every platform we build, by regular or fiber-optic cable, and its quadcopter-based relay, stabilized optically without any reliance on GPS or a magnetic compass, holds a solid connection to drones at 50 km and beyond. Purpose-built to carry video and control for a loitering platform onto a ground target across a complex, obstructed radio horizon, it turns line-of-sight limits into a solved problem.
Datasheet
Full specification
- Control & video to all UAVs/UGVs
- RF or fiber-optic cable links
- Quadcopter relay to 50+ km
- Optical stabilization, GPS-free
- Adjustable 8 m mast (120° / 270°)
- 10-hour ground-station battery
Why it matters
Command that survives the contest.
A drone is only as good as the link that reaches it. Modern electronic warfare jams that link, terrain breaks line of sight, and satellite navigation is the first thing to go. TBS / ERLS / S-Link is Iron Shield's answer: a two-part control and relay architecture that keeps command and full-motion video flowing to any UAV or UGV in the fleet — over the air or down an unjammable fiber-optic hardline — and pushes the connection out past the horizon with an airborne relay that positions itself by vision alone, needing neither GPS nor compass.
Because control and video ride the same resilient path, an operator can hold a loitering platform over a target on the far side of a ridgeline, watch the feed, and keep authority over the engagement from cover — the complete command loop that lets every other Iron Shield system do its job.
Universal control
Remote control and video links to every UAV and UGV in the fleet, over regular RF or fiber-optic cable from 30 m and up.
Airborne relay
A quadcopter relay holds the connection to drones at 50 km and beyond, extending reach far past ground line-of-sight.
No GPS, no compass
Optical stabilization and visual positioning keep the relay steady and on-station in fully GPS-denied conditions.
Digital or analog
Switchable digital or analog video links and dual control bands, selected automatically or manually, to beat jamming.
The System
Three elements, one resilient link.
A hardened ground-control console drives the fleet from cover, a telescoping mast lifts the antenna above the clutter, and an optically-stabilized quadcopter relay carries the link out over the horizon. Together they are TBS / ERLS / S-Link.
TBS Ground Station
The operator's console — a rugged, portable ground-control station that drives every platform in the fleet over cable or fiber-optic hardline. A bright 19-inch monitor and a ten-hour battery give a small team a full command post they can carry, set up in minutes, and run from cover.
- Drives all UAVs/UGVs over cable or fiber
- RF or fiber-optic hardline control
- Bright 19″ daylight monitor
- 10-hour field battery
- Digital or analog video link
Telescoping Antenna Mast
A rugged telescoping mast raises the ground antenna above cover and clutter to open a clean line of sight to the fleet and to the airborne relay beyond it. It adjusts up to 8 m, sweeps 270° in azimuth and 120° in elevation, and folds down to a man-portable load that sets up in minutes.
- Raises the antenna above cover
- Adjustable up to 8 m
- 270° azimuth / 120° elevation
- Feeds RF or fiber-optic hardline
- Folds to a man-portable load
Quadcopter Relay
The airborne element — a quadcopter relay that lifts the control and video link above the terrain and holds it there. Visual positioning keeps it stable and on-station with no GPS and no magnetic compass, so it works exactly where satellite navigation fails, carrying command and full-motion video to a loitering platform across a complex radio horizon at 50 km and beyond.
- Extends the link past line-of-sight
- Optical/visual positioning, GPS-free
- Relays control & full-motion video
- Holds connection at 50 km+
- Digital or analog video link
The hardware, up close
Straight from the brochure.
The ground-control station, the deployable antenna mast, and the airborne relay — as they ship to the field.
Ground-control station
The portable command console — a 19″ monitor, a ten-hour battery, and cable or fiber-optic control to the whole fleet.
Deployable mast
A telescoping tripod mast that raises the antenna above cover and clutter, then folds down to a man-portable load.
Antenna array
Directional Yagi and panel antennas on the mast head — up to 8 m, 270° azimuth / 120° elevation.
Airborne relay
The optically-stabilized quadcopter relay that carries the link out past the horizon — 50 km and beyond.
In Service With
Combat-proven with our JV partners
Iron Shield builds these systems hand-in-hand with its Ukrainian joint-venture partners — and it is through those partners that our ground-control, relay, and UAV platforms are in active, combat-proven service across Ukraine's assault, airmobile, and reconnaissance formations, alongside the Stealth, Magura, and Grey Widow systems. Iron Shield carries that battlefield-validated pedigree, and the operator feedback behind it, to allied forces at scale.