Megan Strader
Commercial and Business Aviation Avionics
Connected Aviation Solutions
Collins Aerospace reaches significant milestone in its Iridium Certus® development
- Testing marks Collins successful Iridium Certus system transmission utilizing a High Gain Antenna
- Collins Aerospace has now completed transmissions using both the Active Low Gain Antenna and the High Gain Antenna
- Collins Aerospace’s newest SATCOM systems to be ready in 2022
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (April 26, 2020) – Collins Aerospace has reached another critical milestone in the development of its higher bandwidth Iridium Certus® airborne satellite communications (SATCOM) system. Recently, Collins Aerospace was able to successfully connect and transmit data to an orbiting Iridium® satellite using the Iridium Certus service utilizing a High Gain Antenna (HGA). A similar transmission was recorded last August with Collins Aerospace’s new Active Low Gain Antenna (ALGA). This puts Collins Aerospace among the first to successfully connect with both its Iridium Certus systems. Collins Aerospace is a Raytheon Technologies business (NYSE: RTX).
Collins Aerospace’s two SATCOM solutions, currently in development, will provide customers with faster speeds, lower weight and smaller antenna footprint than legacy SATCOM systems allowing for minimum drag and lower power usage. This will provide operators with additional options for use in both the cockpit for safety services and in the cabin for passenger entertainment.
"This marks our second major milestone in our Iridium Certus development in only six months and is a testament to the hard work and expertise we have dedicated to the goal of bringing our customers the uninterrupted and secure data feeds they need to operate most efficiently,” said Leigh Parker, Vice President of Avionics Engineering for Collins Aerospace. “We are now one step closer to rolling out what we believe will be the premier seamless SATCOM experience.”
Collins Aerospace’s solutions will be available to operators in 2022 and will include all airborne hardware for the new systems, including the Satcom Data Unit (SDU), SDU Configuration Module and the antennas — either ALGA or HGA — depending on the operator's bandwidth requirements.
About Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the extensive capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and broad expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. For more information, visit CollinsAerospace.com.
About Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
