EMS Satcom on Monday rolled out the latest and lightest in its line of eNfusion high-gain antennas (HGA) for airborne satellite communications, the AMT-700, weighing less than five pounds. The antenna features higher gain (greater than 13.5dB), lower power consumption and a smaller installation footprint than its AMT-50 predecessor.

John Broughton, vice president of product development, said the AMT-700 “builds on more than 15 years’ experience and millions of flight hours of the AMT-50 HGA. It incorporates several new technological advances initially brought to market in our AMT-3800 phased-array product.” The mechanically steered, tail-mounted AMT-700 is designed to get the most out of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service, Broughton added. He called it well suited for “smaller aircraft,” including the Cessna Citation Columbus and Embraer Legacy.

In addition to higher gain than competing antennas of similar size, the AMT-700 offers weight savings on large aircraft over the AMT-50, with comparable or better performance. It is planned for commercial availability next May. Composed of two LRUs, the AMT-700 HGA system integrates antenna control functions into the antenna package for more flexible installation. The first variant will be DC powered, to be followed by an AC model.