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Gogo Business Aviation unveiled the new Gogo Galileo product line, a second electronically steered antenna (ESA) form factor to use on its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband solution, at EBACE.
The Gogo Galileo offers two fuselage-mount antennas. The HDX antenna was designed with a small form factor to fit on a number of business aircraft. The latest unveiling introduced the new FDX antenna, designed to fit on larger aircraft to deliver a better performance.
"With the introduction of the FDX antenna, our AVANCE platform now offers a complete portfolio of North American air-to-ground (ATG) and global LEO products to meet the unique needs of each segment of the business aviation market," Gogo President and COO Sergio Aguirre said. "We have solutions to fit any aircraft size, flying any mission, whether the owner is focused on value, high performance, or redundancy, all coupled with our award-winning customer support."
The antennas were designed in collaboration with Hughes Network System, an EchoStar company. Hughes will manufacture the two antennas.
"Leveraging the research and development investment of the HDX antenna, we have successfully accelerated our roadmap of bringing a second, best-in-class antenna to the market," Aguirre said. "FDX will maximize the capacity and performance of the OneWeb network for nearly 8,000 global heavy jet operators." Shuaib Shahid, head of international sales for Gogo, Mark Sander, senior vice president of sales for Gogo with the newly announced Gogo Galileo FDX antenna on the right and the smaller Gogo Galileo HDX antenna on the left.
The new FDX antenna will offer the benefits of the HDX antenna with quicker data speeds, a higher throughput and a lower latency than the current geosynchronous satellite systems deliver. The antenna can support multiple VPNs, interactive video and gaming sessions concurrently.
"We're proud to support Gogo as they continue to enhance their world-class inflight broadband system for business aviation," Hughes VP Reza Rasoulian said. "Thanks to the dynamic partnership between Gogo and Hughes, combined with our engineering expertise and close collaboration with OneWeb, Gogo Business Aviation customers will soon realize an unmatched LEO connectivity experience worldwide."
When the new product line launches Gogo will have the ability to provide the fastest and highest capacity for inflight connectivity products in North America. Gogo can provide this top-tier connectivity product line through the combined superiority of LEO and 5G, enabled by the AVANCE platform's multi-bearing capability.
"We're excited to see Gogo's continued progress alongside the very tangible progress OneWeb has made in recent weeks with the completion of our LEO constellation, and the continued rollout of our ground infrastructure," OneWeb Head of Business Aviation Jason Sperry said. "It's clear that together we mean business!"
The AVANCE platform was designed to provide easily upgradable paths for new technology and networks. With the Gogo Galileo, an aircraft with an AVANCE product installed like the L3, L5 or SCS will only need to add the FDX or HDX antenna to the fuselage to access the LEO network.
Gogo also announced that the process to secure the first-article Supplemental Type Certification for its Gogo Galileo HDX system on the Bombardier 300 series of aircraft is in progress.
"The Bombardier Challenger 300 is one of the most popular super midsize jets on the market, making it a perfect candidate for our Gogo Galileo HDX system," Aguirre said. "Pursuing the STC for parts manufacture approval (PMA) is a critical step as we ready for commercial launch next year."
Since 2004, nearly 900 Challenger 300 series aircraft have been sold. Of those 900, 595 have been installed with the Gogo Air-to-Ground system. About half of these are also equipped with AVANCE. The AVANCE platform can provide an easy path to upgrade to the Gogo Galileo product line.
Duncan Aviation will be providing engineering and certification services to Gogo for the STC.
"The anticipation for Gogo Galileo remains high among business jet operators, so we are pleased to support Gogo's efforts to secure this STC," Duncan Aviation's Executive VP and COO Mike Minchow said. "Our team of engineers and certification experts have the skill and know-how to help bring this revolutionary inflight connectivity to installation readiness."
When the new Gogo Galileo is combined with Gogo 5G, its fusion of LEO and 5G connectivity will provide North America with unmatched inflight connectivity service. Gogo is inviting EBACE attendees to witness the Gogo Galileo demonstration at its static display.
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