Raytheon has signed a teaming agreement with St Louis-based Angel Technologies to develop stratospheric broadband wireless services, using the High Altitude Long Operation (HALO) aircraft.
The prime electronics systems integrator will be Raytheon, with responsibility for the airborne and ground segments of the HALO network. Angel will deliver fixed and mobile wireless services including voice, data and video, using a large airborne antenna mounted on the HALO-Proteus.
Angel Technologies, meanwhile, has signed an agreement with Wyman-Gordon for the certification and production of 100 HALO aircraft based on the original Proteus prototype. This is in flight test at Mojave, California, where it was designed and manufactured by Wyman-Gordon-owned Scaled Composites.
The teaming deal between Raytheon and Angel has been widely expected since 1996, when the two companies began working together to demonstrate the feasibility of broadband communications, using a HALO concept. The link-up was further assured after a successful demonstration in August during which a record breaking 52 megabit/s wireless link was established between the ground and Angels' HALO.
Source: Flight International
