Honeywell enables high-speed, beyond-line-of-sight wi-fi, SATCOM on helicopters

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. High-speed, inflight wi-fi has long been on the wish list for helicopter operators, pilots, and passengers, officials at Honeywell in Morris Plains, New Jersey, recognize. “Now you can put a checkmark next to that item,” they say, thanks to the Honeywell Aspire 200 satellite communications (SATCOM) system.

The Aspire 200 SwiftBroadband system is designed to infuse helicopters with reliable, consistent, high-speed connectivity capabilities. Available in a variety of antenna options, Aspire 200 and its High-Data Rate (HDR) software package mitigate the impact of the rotor blades on the satellite signal to bring high-speed broadband to the helicopter, officials say.

Honeywell officials demonstrated the system’s beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) capabilities on a customer’s Leonardo AW139 helicopter by connecting a passenger to the ground for a FaceTime conversation, shown below.

The Aspire 200 Satellite Communications System is Honeywell's smallest Inmarsat SwiftBroadband system enabling simultaneous voice and data connectivity at rates up to 600 k​bps on all classes of aircraft. Aspire 200, combined with Honeywell's High-Data Rate (HDR) software package, mitigates the impacts of the rotor blades on the satellite signal to bring due high-speed connectivity to the helicopter environment for the first time! The system is now approved for installation on several rotorcraft airframes, including AW139, AS350, UH-60 Black Hawk and Bell 429, with more airframes in the pipeline. Honeywell's GoDirect Cabin Connectivity services add new functionality to the Aspire 200 system.

KEY BENEFITS:

Simultaneous voice and data connectivity

Configurable with a range of Honeywell L-band antenna

Software upgradeable for Inmarsat HDR (for up to ~600 kbps)

For helicopters, the interleaver waveform delivers error-free high-speed worldwide connectivity in a ruggedized package

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