Broadband satellite communications for light jets could be a reality as soon as the first quarter of next year following the adoption of a revolutionary new antenna design by Arinc, provider of the SkyLink megabit-rated Ku-band service in North America and Europe.
Israeli manufacturer Starling Communications is developing a working prototype of its compact, low-profile Mini-MiJet mechanically steered antenna with a view to displaying it at the NBAA show in the autumn and making it commercially available early in 2008.
Starling says the unique multi-panel design of Mini-MiJet yields true broadband performance at a fraction of the size and weight of conventional Ku-band systems. Measuring 406mm (16in) in diameter and 101mm high and rated at up to 3Mbit/s, the unit has two planar-array panels slide apart and independently rotate to steer the beam down towards the horizon and continue tracking the satellite in its equatorial orbit as the aircraft flies into higher latitudes.
“The aim is to push the our broadband capability down the business jet size range as far as light jets such as the Embraer Phenom 300 and Grob SPn,” SkyLink programme director Joe Inglisa said here yesterday.
Source: Flight Daily News
