Platform Aerospace and ASI Achieve Concept-to-Flight Integration of the SNITCH RF ISR-T Payload on Vanilla UAS in Under Three Weeks

Enabling rapid, modular ultrawideband RF direction finding and geolocation capabilities supporting EMSO missions on long-endurance unmanned platforms

HOLLYWOOD, MD AND STERLING, VA / ACCESS Newswire / December 10, 2025 / Platform Aerospace, developer of the world-record-setting Vanilla ultra-long-endurance UAS, together with Applied Signals Intelligence (ASI), a provider of low-SWaP RF direction finding (DF) and geolocation sensors, announce the rapid integration and successful flight of ASI's SNITCH RF ISR-T payload on the Vanilla platform. The effort progressed from concept to airborne test in less than three weeks, establishing a new benchmark for MOSA-aligned ISR capability delivery.

Vanilla UAS and ASI SNITCH
Vanilla Ship-13 flew a rapid-integration prototype SNITCH low-SWaP SIGINT system for a shakedown flight at Blackstone Army Airfield, Dec 4th, 2025.

Concept-to-Flight in Under Three Weeks

The joint team moved from initial technical discussions to flight demonstration in under three weeks. ASI's SNITCH payload was CAD-modeled, fabricated, installed, and verified using MOSA interfaces. Installation and pre-flight checkout required less than 30 minutes, highlighting Vanilla's readiness for rapid payload insertion. This timeline reflects Department of War (DOW) priorities to field ISR capabilities at operational speed and leverage commercially developed technologies in contested electromagnetic environments where electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) and electronic warfare (EW) demands continue to evolve.

"This collaboration showcases how Vanilla's modular architecture enables rapid adaptation to emerging mission needs," said Kurt Parsons, Platform Aerospace's Chief Executive Officer. "Integrating ASI's SNITCH payload from concept to flight in less than three weeks demonstrates how quickly warfighters can receive new ISR capability that directly supports evolving EW and EMSO mission needs."

Compact RF ISR-T for Long-Endurance Platforms

Pairing Vanilla's endurance with ASI's compact, ultrawideband RF detection, direction finding, and geolocation capability creates a rapidly deployable ISR-T solution. The payload offers a 300km range to target and 360-degree field of view, enabling wide-area surveillance of RF activity across land and maritime environments and cueing of narrower field of view EO/IR, radar, and LiDAR sensors.

ASI's SNITCH payload measures 6 inches in diameter by 7 inches long, weighs 4.5 pounds (5.6 pounds fully integrated), and draws 45 watts peak. Powered by ASI's ultrawideband Electromagnetic Vector Sensor (EMVS) technology, SNITCH provides single-platform 3D direction finding, real-time emitter detection, DF, and geolocation of HF to 6 GHz (with options to 18 GHz), without distributed antennas. This enables warfighters to map, track, and characterize communications emitters, radars, and electronic warfare systems using one compact payload with an ATAK interface.

"ASI is committed to delivering ISR-T technologies that operators can field at mission speed," said Dr. Martin Rofheart, CEO of Applied Signals Intelligence. "Integrating and flying SNITCH on Vanilla in such a short timeframe highlights the value MOSA unlocks for rapid capability delivery, scalable ISR, and real operational impact."

About Platform Aerospace

Platform Aerospace is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business specializing in disruptive UAS technologies and rapid aircraft modification. The company is a 30-year aviation engineering and manufacturing leader and operator of the world-record-setting Group 3 UAS, Vanilla. https://platformaerospace.com/

About ASI

Applied Signals Intelligence (ASI) provides low-SWaP RF sensing systems that enable autonomous Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) from unmanned platforms. In GPS-denied, comms-degraded, and contested environments, ASI solutions detect, characterize, and geolocate RF threats from a single platform without reliance on external timing or coordination. Powered by unique EMVS technology, ASI systems support ISR and targeting missions with precise RF detection, direction finding, and geolocation. https://www.asigint.com/

Contact Information

Jim Snow
Chief Growth Officer
[e-mail]
301-863-9253

Martin Rofheart
Applied Signals intelligence
[e-mail]

Katrine Heuer
Marketing Manager
[e-mail]
[phone]

SOURCE: Platform Aerospace

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/aerospace-and-defense/platform-aerospace-and-asi-achieve-concept-to-flight-integration-of-the-snitc-1116314