EADS Astrium unveiled its AirPatrol next-generation airborne satellite communications terminal at the Farnborough International Air Show on 20 July.
Designed as a lightweight system, AirPatrol is compatible with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fixed wing and rotary aircraft, according to Aidan Joy, managing director of Secure Satcom Systems.
According to Joy, the system weighs a total of 16 kg and is manufactured with 'lightweight carbon composite' materials. Compatible with Skynet 5 satellite communications for UK armed forces, such carbon materials allow for a 'higher level of radio frequency path integration, Joy added.
It can operate over Ku, Ka and X-bands and