Connectivity hardware manufacturer Astronics Aerosat (Booth C8543) has partnered with in-flight entertainment and connectivity service provider Panasonic Avionics (Booth C13146) to provide high-speed communication services and global live television programming to the business aviation market. Together they will offer dedicated broadband data Internet services, four channels of global television services, and regional DBS-TV programming, all from a single antenna.

“This is a market we’ve looked at for a long time,” said David Bruner, Panasonic’s vice president of global communications, announcing the agreement at NBAA 2015. “You have to have proper hardware technology on the airplane, which we did not have.”

The new partnership will offer tiered connectivity packages based around Aerosat’s FliteStream T-series tail-mounted satcom antennas, whose capabilities vary depending on customer needs. “That’s the key novel thing that Aerosat is bringing to this,” said Bruner. “You have to have the satellite assets, you have to have technology assets on the airplane to make the whole thing come together. We had part of it, Aerosat had the other part, it makes for a very good relationship.”

Panasonic’s Global Ku-band network includes 19 satellites and is approved to operate in more than 200 countries. Each level of the connectivity plan will provide a guaranteed data rate, ranging from 1.5 to 4 Mbps. “That is the lowest performance you will get when you sign up to that level,” noted Bruner. “This will probably not be the lowest-cost service in the marketplace, but it will be the quality service in the marketplace.” The service will be available in the second quarter of 2016.

Enhanced Vision

Astronics also announced that Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service has been named as the launch customer for its Max-Viz 1400, the latest in its series of enhanced vision systems. The $25,000 surface-mount unit was installed in five of the service’s King Airs. It enables pilots to see up to ten times further than normal human vision in low visibility situations such as smoke, haze and light fog.