Plane Simple Array to be Tested Aboard Gulfstream G550

Founded on the belief that time is a precious commodity, Melbourne, Florida’s Satcom Direct (SD) commits itself in perpetuity to the goal of establishing and maintaining the connectivity industry’s highest standards. SD’s proprietary technologies span the business aviation, marine, government, and telecommunications sectors.

On 04 January 2023, Satcom Direct announced it had completed the first ever installation of its Plane Simple Ka-band antenna on a business jet. The aircraft retrofitted with the Plane Simple array was none other than SD’s own Gulfstream G550.

The prototype system comprises only two line-replaceable units (LRUs): a tail-mount antenna, and an SD Modem Unit. Thus equipped, SD’s G550 will be used to test the Plane Simple hardware’s compatibility with Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX inflight broadband service—as supported by the storied satellite communications company’s Global Xpress constellation.

The antenna with which SD’s G550 has been provisioned is the second terminal in the SD Plane Simple antenna series, and is functioning under an aircraft-specific supplemental type certificate (STC). Terminal validation will be conducted during regular flight operations, and the data collected will be used to refine the design for purpose of achieving optimal system functionality.

SD president Chris Moore remarked: “Owners and operators depend on us to deliver reliable and consistent service, and our Plane Simple antenna systems satisfy this demand. We’ve rigorously tested the Plane Simple Ku-band, which has performed beyond expectations. Now, with the validation of the Ka-band terminal, we’re adding more value to our offering to meet the needs of our customers. We have a long-standing relationship with Inmarsat, having evolved numerous connectivity services together to deliver superior experiences to users.  We are excited to begin on-wing testing with them.”

Inmarsat head of business aviation Kai Tang added: “Like SD, our aim is to give customers best-in-class consistent, global coverage, now and in the future. We anticipate that SD hardware technology, combined with our enhanced next-generation satellite network, will reinforce our position as the premium connectivity experience for SD customers. We are looking forward to validating this through the testing process.”

Testing of the integrated architectures is currently underway. Customer in-service evaluations are scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2023, with subsequent STCs to be confirmed by year’s end. When fully functional, the Ka-band antenna will support high-speed data transfer by which high volumes of users traveling aboard mid to large-size business jets may avail themselves of teleconferencing, video streaming, and multiple digital applications.

FMI: https://planesimple.satcomdirect.com