In collaboration with Canada-based FLYHT, Inmarsat is set to demonstrate the capabilities of its new SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) solution in a flight test expected to begin later this year.

The SB-S solution is a next-generation flight deck communications platform that is designed to provide global, high-speed, secure, internet protocol (IP) connectivity for aircraft cockpits.

The proposed trial is expected to use an experimental aircraft that will employ the SB-S solution.

FLYHT will provide technical support for the trial, as well as equipment and software such as the Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) and UpTime Cloud flight management server.

"We will demonstrate how our currently available technologies can provide the industry with cost-effective solutions to emerging safety requirements."

Inmarsat Aviation Safety and Operational Services vice-president Mary McMillan said: “This important flight trial will showcase the advanced capabilities of SwiftBroadband-Safety, together with FLYHT’s powerful platforms, to provide operational benefits to airlines in the form of real-time aircraft diagnostics, performance monitoring, detection of exceedance-critical parameters and improved operational efficiency.

“In addition, we will demonstrate how our currently available technologies can provide the industry with cost-effective solutions to emerging safety requirements, such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) imminent new requirements on aircraft flight tracking.”

Inmarsat also aims to demonstrate the capability of its ‘Black Box in the Cloud’ concept, which is designed to stream data stored in the on-board flight recorders in case of an accident and other anomalies.