Business & GA

NBAA 2008: High-gain antenna for in-flight broadband

EMS SATCOM (Booth 5371) launched its eNfusion AMT-700 high-gain antenna (HGA) at the show today. The new tail-mounted antenna will provide higher gain than competing antennas of similar size and weight and was designed with Inmarsat’s new SwiftBroadband service in mind.

The eNfusion AMT-700 builds on the success of the company's AMT-50 HGA, currently flying on more than 1,400 aircraft. John Broughton, EMS SATCOM vice president of product development, says: “Our AMT-700 HGA builds on more than 15 years’ experience and the millions of flight hours of the AMT-50 HGA.

“More important, this new antenna incorporates several new technological advances, initially brought to market in our AMT-3800 phased-array product. By maximizing data throughput and system capacity, these advances are designed to get the most out of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service.”

Mechanically-steered and designed for aircraft tail-mounting, the AMT-700 HGA is a small, light solution that is well suited for installation on smaller aircraft such as Cessna’s newly-announced Citation Columbus and the Embraer Legacy.

The AMT-700 HGA comprises two line replaceable units (LRU) and features lower power consumption, higher gain (>13.5dB) and a smaller footprint, weighing less than 5lb. The first variant to be available will be DC-powered, with an AC model to follow. The antenna is planned to be commercially available in May 2009.