Hughes Network Systems, LLC, a global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, on Sept. 6 announced a significant advancement in rotary wing Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) SATCOM capabilities by successfully demonstrating data throughputs of up to 10 Mbps through rotor blades and over geostationary satellites to a remote HUB.
With five times greater throughput than its first release in March 2013, the advanced Hughes communications-on-the-move (COTM) microsat system is capable of transmitting critical video and other sensor data that was not previously possible when exceeding the range limitation of traditional line-of-sight systems. The increased speeds were recently demonstrated in-flight on an aircraft with government customers and industry partners present. This advanced capability can be adapted to various rotary platforms to enable critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data transmission ranges previously not attainable.
“Hughes delivers a system level solution, including the core modem and antenna technology together with worldwide Ka or Ku-band connectivity through its satellite managed services network,” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems Division. “We continue to improve speeds and testing with additional systems and antennas, resulting in a truly agile, flexible option for government, military, and commercial customers.”
Employing advanced waveform technology, the Hughes rotary wing system enables seamless transmissions through rotor blades over both Ka and Ku-band satellite channels with zero packet loss. The solution operates with a variety of commercially-available airborne antennas on government, military and commercial platforms, facilitating integration with existing systems for strategic ISR and tactical operations.
The Hughes rotary wing system is based on the company’s advanced HX satellite broadband platform, which meets the Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 140-2, Level 2 encryption standard and meets Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) requirements.
