LYNGBY, Denmark - Cobham SATCOM has announced that the first call has been made using its revolutionary AVIATOR 200S system over Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband satellite communications service. The 'on air' milestone represents a significant step forward in making AVIATOR 200S  - the first of several upcoming solutions in the AVIATOR S Series product range - available for airlines and coincides with the anticipated approval of Inmarsat's new generation SwiftBroadband - Safety service in 2016.

The on-air voice call was achieved using the AVIATOR 200S CSDU (Compact Satellite Data Unit) and HELGA (combined HLD and Enhanced LGA) antenna over the Inmarsat LDR (Low Data Rate) bearer type.

Carried out in a laboratory environment, the breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the development of the system and was notable as:

• The first voice call through an AVIATOR 200S CSDU
• The first IP data session through an AVIATOR 200S CSDU
• The first ever voice and data calls through a HELGA antenna
• The first ever voice and data calls through a Class 4 Radio Module
• The first ever voice and data calls over LDR bearers

Kim Gram, vice president of Cobham SATCOM's aeronautical business unit, said: "This is another important milestone in the evolution of our game-changing AVIATOR S Series, allowing airlines to e-enable their fleet with a previously unseen versatile and economic satcom solution.

"The first call is particularly significant as it represents a new solution running on a new service - a double first! Our teams in Lyngby and Cape Town have worked hard to achieve this impressive landmark. This is a very big step towards our first customer shipment, and shows that we are on track for release of AVIATOR 200S as planned.

"We believe the significantly smaller, lighter and easier to install hardware associated with the SwiftBroadband ACARS data services, represented by our AVIATOR S series product range, will provide aircraft manufacturers and airlines with a route towards significant changes in operational efficiencies and, not least, in flight situation awareness and safety."

Mary McMillan, vice president of aviation safety and operational services at Inmarsat, said: "We congratulate our partner Cobham SATCOM on the achievement represented by the first successful call. Powered by Inmarsat's SwiftBroadband - Safety, the AVIATOR 200S represents a major advancement of satcom technology and, together, provide the next generation aviation safety communications platform for the global aviation community."

The ground-breaking AVIATOR S Series provides satcom solutions for the airline fleet of tomorrow for the purpose of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Aircraft Operation Control (AOC). Using SwiftBroadband safety services to transmit ACARS data, AVIATOR S Series enables secure data communication, IP connectivity and multiple voice capabilities. The combination of IP and ACARS data pipes allows network integration with a portfolio of data housing and transmitting components on the aircraft such as cockpit, Electronic Flight Bag devices (EFB), onboard maintenance computers and devices used by the crew to service passengers. 

Smaller, lighter and more cost-effective than current sat com systems, AVIATOR 200S reduces the number of LRUs on the aircraft from 4 to 2.

For further information please visit www.cobham.com/satcom.

About Cobham SATCOM

Providing dependable communications and internet access anywhere under the most demanding conditions.

Our satellite and radio communication terminals perform in the most challenging and remote environments on land, at sea and in the air.

We design and manufacture these high performance products under the AVIATOR, EXPLORER, SAILOR and Sea Tel brands providing customers with outstanding performance, value and support through our global sales and service network.

About Cobham

The most important thing we build is trust.

We protect lives and livelihoods with our differentiated technology and know-how, operating with a deep insight into customer needs and agility. Our innovative range of technologies and services solve challenging problems in harsh environments across commercial, defence and security markets, from deep space to the depths of the ocean, specialising in meeting the growing demand for data, connectivity and bandwidth.

We employ more than 12,000 people on five continents, and have customers and partners in over 100 countries, with market leading positions in: wireless, audio, video and data communications, including satellite communications; defence electronics; air-to-air refuelling; aviation services; life support and mission equipment.

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