Cobham Satcom has announced two new Aviator 300 supplemental type certificate (STC) approvals and introduced the Aviator 200S, which features a new compact antenna.
The Aviator 300 received an FAA STC for installation on the Airbus A319, A320 and A321. The STC was developed by Avionics Support Group on an ACJ319 business jet. The company plans to add EASA and Chinese CAAC STCs for the Airbuses as well.
The Aviator 300 was STC’d by EASA for installation on the Boeing 757. This STC was engineered by Scandinavian Avionics, and it includes the Aviator 300’s built-in Wi-Fi option. The Aviator 300, an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satcom, has enough bandwidth to transmit real-time aircraft health data plus support inflight entertainment and passenger texting and email.
The new Aviator 200S SwiftBroadband system employs an antenna that combines the enhanced low-gain antenna, RF power amplifier and diplexer into a single compact unit, according to Cobham. The 200S is designed as the first Inmarsat Class 4 terminal and “allows for simultaneous transmission of safety and non-safety services on the same SwiftBroadband channel.”
The new “Helga” (combined HLD and enhanced low-gain antenna) eliminates the need to install a separate HLD (high-power amplifier and diplexer/low noise amplifier), thus reducing the footprint of the single-channel 200S to two LRUs from three. “Previously the amplifier had to be installed somewhere on the aircraft,” said Kim Gram, v-p of Cobham Satcom’s aeronautical business unit, “but as it generated heat, it had to have appropriate ventilation, which limited installation options.” The more compact Aviator 200S can be installed in a larger variety of aircraft and for a lower cost.
The Aviator S also features secure data communications because the cockpit and cabin domains are separated. This ensures that cockpit communications are secure, useful for safety-sensitive ATC messaging. It also allows simultaneous transmission of operational and flight data to ground facilities and reception of flight-relevant information such as EFB or FMS updates. With an antenna capable of sufficient bandwidth, the Aviator S can also provide passengers with satcom connectivity.
