Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.’s fully owned subsidiary, Wavestream, has marked a key milestone as successfully tested by Global Eagle Entertainment (Global Eagle), a major In-Flight Connectivity Provider, for its IFC high-power transceiver, the Aerostream 40Ku, which has achieved RTCA (formerly known as Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) DO-160G* certification.
Production units are planned to be shipped for usage in commercial aircraft, starting in the second quarter of 2021.
Wavestream’s AeroStream 40Ku transceiver is designed for exceptionally high- reliability, with a field-reported Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF) of greater than 30,000 flight hours. The high-power transceiver incorporates the latest in Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology and enables more return bandwidth from the plane back to the satellite than previous generations. The successful completion of environmental conditions testing for airborne equipment, DO-160G, brings the transceiver a step closer to airworthiness and Supplemental Type Certification (STC).
“The true partnership between Global Eagle and Wavestream was evident in the joint engineering effort to bring about the DO-160G certification for Wavestream’s high power AeroStream 40Ku transceiver,” said Bob Huffman, Wavestream’s General Manager. “This achievement increases our already industry-leading reliability and performance in IFC transceivers and extends Wavestream’s leadership in the Ku-band IFC business area, which currently stands at 30 million flight hours and counting.”
“The DO-160G certification of Wavestream’s high-power AeroStream 40Ku transceiver extends Global Eagle’s lead in Ku-Band in-flight connectivity,” said Mike Pigott, Executive Vice President, Connectivity, at Global Eagle. “We are pleased that Wavestream ensured that the unit is both backwards compatible with traditional modems and is future-proof to operate with the next generation of satellite modem technologies.”
- RTCA DO-160G provides standard procedures and environmental test criteria for testing airborne equipment for the entire spectrum of aircraft from light general aviation aircraft and helicopters through the “jumbo jets” and SST categories of aircraft.