777

US-based Honeywell Aerospace and Boeing have entered into a technical services agreement to research and develop new wireless technology for Boeing airliners, including the 787, 777, 737NG and 747-8.

Under the agreement, Boeing and Honeywell will jointly research, test and develop the hardware, software and potential services that will use GX Ka-band satellites, powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation constellation.

In addition, both parties will begin the necessary activities in supporting the installation of GX Ka-band equipment aboard new aircraft in 2015.

With this deal, Honeywell and Boeing are addressing passengers’ increasing demands for faster, more reliable in-flight connectivity on iPads, smartphones, tablet devices and laptops while over land and crossing oceans.

GX Aviation will provide unprecedented data rates and bandwidth, supported by Inmarsat’s quality standards, performance and global reach.

It will offer the similar experience as terrestrial broadband and is the only Ka-band network designed to deliver consistent global coverage.

In addition, it will allow passengers to do everything from real-time social media updates to video-conferencing and multimedia presentation development while in flight, virtually worldwide.

Honeywell Aerospace marketing and product management vice-president Carl Esposito said the current in-flight connectivity landscape offers only a narrow field of overland flight paths in the US and select international markets, so is unreliable and does not adequately address passengers’ need for a true global in-flight connectivity offering.

"Both Boeing and Honeywell understand this demand for global connectivity and are collaborating to ensure that airlines are equipped to provide passengers with the fastest and most reliable global in-flight connectivity experience possible through GX Aviation," Esposito added.

“Boeing is working with Honeywell to develop and ultimately apply Ka technology on Boeing platforms as an offering, which can be selected and brought to market by our airline customers worldwide."

Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief engineer of electronic systems Dan Murray said: "Boeing is working with Honeywell to develop and ultimately apply Ka technology on Boeing platforms as an offering, which can be selected and brought to market by our airline customers worldwide."

The Honeywell-developed hardware and system for GX Aviation will provide new services to aircraft operators, airlines and air traffic control such as predictive maintenance and better aircraft communications that will utilise fast, reliable and global connectivity service.

In 2012, Honeywell and Inmarsat signed an agreement to offer global in-flight connectivity services to business, commercial and government aviation customers worldwide.

Under the terms of the terminal agreement, Honeywell will develop, produce and distribute the onboard hardware that will allow users to connect to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network.

The first Inmarsat GX Ka-band satellite, which is being built by Boeing, is expected to launch in late 2013, and Inmarsat and Honeywell are working towards making the global service available for commercial, business aviation and government customers in 2015.

Image: Honeywell Aerospace and Boeing will research and develop new technologies for the next generation of high-speed, in-flight wireless connectivity, which will be deployed in Boeing aeroplanes such as 777. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.

Defence Technology