Hughes’ Seamless SATCOM On Military Helicopters Demonstrated

One of the world’s leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, Hughes Network Systems, announced that the company has successfully demonstrated high-throughput video and data transmission over SATCOM links on a variety of rotary wing platforms. According to the satellite broadband giant’s press release, employing an advanced waveform technology developed by Hughes, the new communications-on-the-move (COTM) microsat system achieved zero packet loss on transmission and reception through the rotor blades, over both Ka and Ku-band satellite channels.

Tests were conducted on a variety of military and commercial helicopters in both static and in-flight environments that included numerous pitch, bank and roll maneuvers. In all cases, the Hughes microsat system successfully transmitted full motion video (FMV) beyond the line-of-sight (BLoS) through the rotor blades over both conventional Ku-band global beam and Ka-band global or spot beam satellites. The system operates with a variety of commercially-available airborne antennas, facilitating integration with various government, military and commercial platforms.

Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems Division’s Vice-President and General Manager, Rick Lober said, “Hughes continues to lead in developing innovative, cost-effective mobility solutions for military and commercial applications. Our new microsat technology is ideal for C2 and ISR missions in all airborne as well as maritime and land environments, combining patented waveform design on a proven, and common platform for all applications — unlike other single-use solutions.”

See also: Wireless Backhaul