Astronics AeroSat with Panasonic Avionics, Satcom Direct boost in-flight connectivity on bizjets

EAST AURORA, N.Y. Astronics AeroSat, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astronics Corp. (NASDAQ:ATRO), conducted in-flight demonstrations of its FliteStream T-Series tail-mounted connectivity system in collaboration with connectivity partners Panasonic Avionics (network operator) and Satcom Direct (reseller partner). The system, which is now certified and in production, flew on a Gulfstream G-IV aircraft in the skies above Las Vegas during the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) business aviation convention.

Astronics AeroSat hosted successful in-flight demonstrations of its certified FliteStream T-Series satellite connectivity antenna for aircraft.

Demonstration flight attendees were invited to use their personal devices to try out the connectivity performance. Multiple users simultaneously operated up to 22 separate devices to text, make voice and video calls, stream video and audio, securely connect to offices via VPN, and e-mail large files.

The 28 passengers who flew on four separate flights experienced:

• A minimum of 4 Mbps connectivity (commonly reaching over 7 Mbps) on Panasonic’s wide beam network. The new high-throughput satellite (HTS) network, layered with the wide beam network, will be introduced to the business aviation market in the second half of 2018, promising more capacity, speed and live TV channels to improve the passenger experience.
• Streaming video (e.g. IPTV - internet-delivered television, Netflix, Hulu)
• Streaming audio (e.g. Spotify)
• Large file data transfers (e.g. 28 MB+ files)
• Full flight system tracking and performance (taxi, take-off, climb, cruise, descent, and landing)

“On every flight, we had people doing everything from e-mailing and text messaging to FaceTime calls. The number of devices actually used in flight ranged from a minimum of 17 to as many as 22 devices simultaneously. All of the participants were very impressed with the connectivity capability,” Kaiser Air Director of Business Development Rick Brainard says. “We performed all of our demos in flight, under real conditions. I went into the demonstrations with high confidence that the demo flight attendees would be impressed with the system. Each demo flight confirmed that, not only is the Astronics AeroSat FliteStream T-Series a great system for our clients, it is a great system that brings incredible value to the passengers and crew.”

Astronics AeroSat's FliteStream solutions are available with patented "Rexolite Lens" technology, which creates efficient, reliable, and highest-performing connectivity systems. The FliteStream T-Series provides high-speed internet, live IPTV, and DBS-TV in a single antenna.

Key features include:

• Seamless connectivity for passengers to browse the internet, send and receive emails, make calls using Voice-Over-IP (VoIP), access virtual private network (VPN) services, conduct video conferences and enjoy favorite work or entertainment applications
• Highest performing Ku-band SATCOM antenna system, critical for maintaining low angle satellite coverage while flying at higher latitudes, where most flights occur
• A five-piece LRU system: antenna, antenna controller, low power transceiver, power amplifier and diplexer
• Compliance with RTCA DO-160 & RTCA DO-178

Astronics AeroSat’s FliteStream T-Series satellite connectivity system delivers broadband and live TV in a single antenna.

Astronics AeroSat keeps people connected no matter where they fly. For over a decade, Astronics AeroSat has provided fuselage- and tail-mounted satellite communications (SATCOM) solutions for general aviation, business aviation, commercial transport, VVIP/heads of state and military aircraft around the world.

Astronics Corp. (NASDAQ:ATRO) is a supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries. Astronics’ products and services include advanced, high-performance electrical power generation and distribution systems, seat motion solutions, lighting and safety systems, avionics products, aircraft structures, systems certification, and automated test systems. Astronics’ strategy is to increase its value by developing technologies and capabilities, either internally or through acquisition, and using those capabilities to provide innovative solutions to its targeted markets and other markets where its technology can be beneficial.