ThinKom Solutions + Northrop Grumman—Fully Feasible Firebird Flight (SATCOM—Antenna)

The following article was published on March 10th on Satnews.

[SatNews] ThinKom Solutions has announced that the ultra-low profile ThinSAT(r) 300 antenna, which provides global Ku-band Communications-on-the-Move (COTM) connectivity, has been successfully flight tested onboard Northrop Grumman’s demonstrator aircraft, the Firebird.

The antenna system was used to support Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) SATCOM mission capabilities while experiencing 2.5g maneuvers over the Mojave Desert. This demonstration proves that small ultra-low-profile antenna systems can provide high quality sensor data through a commercial Ku-band satellite network. Northrop Grumman's Firebird demonstrator aircraft. Photo, courtesy of Northrop Grumman.

The ThinSAT® 300 is a Ku-band COTM system based on the patented Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) phased array antenna technology. Measuring 4.5 inches (12 cm) high by 60 inches (150 cm) long the product is capable of providing data rates up to 8Mbps; supporting broadband data, voice and video connectivity for ground vehicles used in news media and broadcasters, disaster recovery, homeland security, surveillance and security, trains and public transit industries. ThinKom has leveraged this technology to uniquely enable commercial air transport and general business aviation connectivity offering 2x-10x higher performance at half the size and one-third the aerodynamic drag, relative to other commercially available products.