NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Boeing [BA] is scheduled in December to make its first delivery of an active electronically-steered phased array antenna system for aircraft as part of a contract with a United Arab Emirates-(UAE) based satellite operator, according to a company executive.
Boeing Vice President of C3 Solutions Paul Geery told Defense Daily yesterday the delivery is the first of hopefully many more. Boeing announced in March 2012 it entered into an agreement with the UAE’s Al Yah Satellite Company (Yahsat) to provide these Ka-band phased-array satellite communications (SATCOM) antenna systems. Boeing said these systems will allow customers to take advantage of the significant increase in bandwidth offered by next-generation Ka-band satellites to transport data from aircraft in flight to ground next works, and vice versa.
“It’s basically an electronically-steered array as opposed to a mechanically-steered array,” Geery said at the Air Force Association’s (AFA) annual conference here. “Instead of using a motor to steer something and point it at wherever you want, you use the electronics in a very small package to do that, and thus you get more reliability because you don’t have this mechanically-steered, motor-driven array.”
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| Boeing Business Jet Photo: Boeing |
This Boeing-funded endeavor, Geery said, was developed to improve the capability of platforms to remain networked while mobile, according to a company statement. Built upon heritage Ku-band systems that have been operational for more than a decade, this Ka-band phased array system uses electronically controlled beams to transmit and receive signals from Ka-band satellites in a single, small and aerodynamic design.
Geery said there’s no real limit to what type of aircraft Boeing’s phased array antenna can go on, but that it’s driven more by need, mission and affordability than any particular type of aircraft. Though the antenna’s heritage goes back over 10 years, Geery said the development of this specific family of Ka-band phased array antennas began about two years ago.
Boeing has entered into discussions with additional international customers for its phased array antenna, Geery said, but he did not go into specifics. Geery said Boeing has been in discussion with the Defense Department for “very niche areas” where it might need this technology and with some additional joint work.
Geery said while the phased array antennas are more expensive than your conventional antennas, they fill a key role for sensitive aircraft.
“It doesn’t disrupt the airflow of the airplane and is a great product for that niche market,” Geery said.
The antennas were designed in Kent, Wash., and will be produced at the Boeing Strategic Manufacturing Center in El Paso, Texas.
Yahsat provides multipurpose satellite solutions (government and commercial) for broadband, broadcast, military and communications use across the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia. Yahsat’s first satellite, Y1A, was successfully launched in April 2011.