Lufthansa Technik is no stranger to the inflight internet world. The company has a strong, decades-long history in the development and installation of satellite communications systems, including radomes and antenna mounts. That experience should pay off well for Hanwha Phasor in the years ahead, thanks to a new multi-year agreement to develop and build radomes for its electronically steered antenna solutions.
Reliable inflight connectivity is key for the onboard product quality of airlines around the world. Key advancements in antenna technology thereby require equally ingenuous advancements for the radomes that protect these antennas.
– Harald Gloy, Chief Operations Officer at Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik will support Hanwha Phasor’s upcoming Phasor A7700 electronically steered antenna (ESA) in the market. Expected to enter service in 2025, the Phasor antenna is designed to support connectivity to the OneWeb LEO constellation.
Unlike the Sidewinder terminal from Stellar Blu or the Starlink terminal, both of which have the ESA’s flat panels exposed atop the fuselage with an integrated radome concept, Hanwha Phasor will shield its terminal under a separate cover. The companies claim that use of “entirely new composite material combinations and novel design methods are set to ultimately result in one of the world’s first aviation-certified radome design solutions for this new type of antennas.”
Harald Gloy, Chief Operations Officer at Lufthansa Technik notes that “with our decades-long expertise in this field, we will be one of the first to develop and produce an aviation-certified radome solution for the most modern phased-array antennas, and thus provide Hanwha Phasor with perfect coverage, both from a design and a production point of view.”
Also key to the new radome is its impact on the aerodynamics of the installation. ThinKom has argued strongly of late that a curved radome provides optimal airflow across the fuselage with minimal disruption relative to the flat panel designs. Whether for aerodynamics or other reasons, Hanwha Phasor seems to agree that a separate radome is the smart play for its offering.
Speaking to the partnership Dominic Philpott, Chief Operating Officer of Hanwha Phasor added, “We are delighted to announce this pivotal partnership with Lufthansa Technik, a leading business in the commercial aerospace industry. We look forward to working closely with Lufthansa Technik over the coming months, while exploring further opportunities to deepen and build upon this partnership.”
There’s more to the story… Dig deeper with a PaxEx.Aero Premium Subscription
More Hanwha Phasor aero connectivity news:
- OneWeb secures antenna, investment with Hanwha Systems
- Airbus, OneWeb team for biz jet connectivity boost
- Hanwha sets stage for aero ESA trials later this year
- Hanwha Phasor, OneWeb formalize ESA terminal development efforts
A favor to ask while you're here...
Did you enjoy the content? Or learn something useful? Or generally just think this is the type of story you'd like to see more of? Consider supporting the site through a donation (any amount helps). It helps keep me independent and avoiding the credit card schlock.
Leave a Reply