At the Uniting Technical and Tactical Excellent (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.
Interested in learning more about AeroVox? Email sales (at) crgdefense.com.
About UTAC:
Founded in 2018, Uniting Technical and Tactical Excellence (UTAC) is a fully immersive drone – and robotics-focused training event where public safety, government, and defense operators from around the world gather to learn best practices, establish procedures, and gain experience with the latest innovations in drone and robotics technology, and other uncrewed aerial, ground, and maritime systems, alongside augmenting technology and tactical solutions. For more information, visit www.utac.co.