Photo courtesy of NorthStar Aviation
Hughes Network Systems LLC’s Defense and Intelligence Systems Division has demonstrated a 360-degree beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) satcom capability, Hughes said. In this demonstration, high-definition (HD) video was transmitted through rotating blades on a NorthStar Aviation 407MRH, based on the Bell Helicopter counterpart.
The Hughes HM200 airborne modem was integrated with two lightweight antennas mounted on top of the helicopter’s weapons platforms using a roll-on/roll-off installation. The two airborne terminals have low size, weight and power (SWaP) constraints. Because of this, Hughes’ solution can be applied to a variety of helicopter platforms.
“Meeting end user requirements is what we’re all about, and this flight test proves that BLoS satcom systems on helicopter platforms are now easier than ever to deploy,” says Wayne Marhefka, senior director at Hughes DISD. “As a Roll-on/Roll-off system, the two antennas seamlessly hand-off the satellite signal based on aircraft position, with little to no feed interruption. Customers requiring real time SATCOM on helicopters will no longer have to worry about aircraft positioning in order to stream HD video or other data.”