Photo: Honeywell Aerospace.

Honeywell announced the availability of its newest satellite communications system, the Aspire 400, which provides aircraft flight crews and passengers with access to worldwide voice and data connectivity and provides pilots with cockpit safety services. The lightweight system for business jets and commercial or military aircraft provides connectivity to both the cockpit and the cabin simultaneously, Honeywell stated.

The first release of the Aspire 400 satellite communication system includes the operator’s choice of either an intermediate-gain or a high-gain antenna. The system includes a satellite data unit, a configuration module, a high-power amplifier, and a diplexer/low noise amplifier. The Aspire 400 provides connectivity to pilots and passengers alike through two independent Inmarsat SwiftBroadband channels and Inmarsat’s I-4 network. Using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband–Safety service, pilots have access to a separate, secure data channel for essential safety communications in the cockpit, such as text messaging with air traffic control or in-flight tracking, as well as electronic flight bag applications. Passengers can use the second channel for SwiftBroadband voice and data connectivity in the cabin.

One feature of the Aspire product family is the ability to install two different Aspire satcom systems on the same aircraft in dual satcom mode. For example, the Aspire 400 system can be installed together with Honeywell’s new Aspire 350 system to provide redundancy over multiple networks.