ViaSat has shipped its 500th VR-12 Ku-band airborne ultra-small satcom antenna packaged together with its ArcLight technology, reaching and military and general aviation market milestone, the company announced Jan. 7.
   The VR-12 serves aircraft that require a limited size, weight, and power of onboard communications equipment, while meeting advanced broadband satcom requirements for media-rich applications. The VR-12 airframe systems also includes a “hatch-mount” version – an integrated antenna system and radome package that drops into the escape hatch of a C-130 aircraft. Other installations include tail mounts for the PC-12 (U-28), commercial Gulfstream, and other planes, as well as a fuselage mount for government MC-12W aircraft.
   ViaSat Global Mobile Broadband General Manager Paul Baca said the ultra-small 30-centimeter aperture of the VR-12 bucks the trends for larger antenna designs. “The small VR-12 footprint has been a key to achieving so many successful Ku-band installations,” Baca said in a statement. “As more Ka-band satellites become operational, we plan to offer a new VR-12 Ka antenna with an identical footprint as a new configuration option.”