A satellite antenna system developed by ViaSat Inc. has cleared reliability testing required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and other international regulators for installation aboard commercial aircraft, the Carlsbad, Calif., company announced Feb. 22.
Designed for use aboard military and civilian aircraft, the Ka-band VR-12 antenna system and accompanying ViaSat mobile satellite modem supports bandwidth-intensive applications including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, ViaSat said. Production units of the newly qualified hardware are expected to begin shipping within weeks, the company said.
“We designed the VR-12 Ka system to be a form and fit interchange with its Ku-band counterpart,” Paul Baca, ViaSat vice president and general manager of global mobile broadband systems, said in a prepared statement.
