20 January 2022 — Eclipse Global Connectivity, Smiths Interconnect and ST Engineering iDirect announced their collaboration to deliver an integrated airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (A-ISR) satellite communications (SATCOM) capability for military and government aircraft. The solution, drawing on the extensive expertise of the three companies, will initially address the beyond-line-of-sight connectivity requirements for an EMEA government unmanned platform.
The new Ka-Band solution operates across military and civil frequencies and is suitable for manned and unmanned platforms. The recognized and proven iDirect Evolution® Defense platform features military-grade security and advanced mobility capabilities for tactical operations. The iDirect 9800 AE+ airborne modem combined with the Smiths Interconnect KaStream® 5000 MK II, a next-generation 30cm parabolic antenna, provides a complete solution for Airborne ISR Operations.
Eclipse Global Connectivity is the end-to-end systems integrator, providing the aircraft radome, platform integration/certification and military-grade encryption. Lightweight and compact, this new capability enables high data rate connectivity, enabling HD full-motion video to support A-ISR missions. Given that the solution is interoperable with a wide range of current and future civilian and military Ka-band satellite constellations, the operator can fly missions anywhere in the world, with truly global connectivity.