Arnav Systems Inc has signed an agreement with Globalstar to provide satellite-based voice and data communication for the Arnav Aeronautical Network (AAN).

Serving the general aviation market, which includes regional jets, smaller air transport, and private aircraft, Arnav will offer cockpit satellite telephony and data services of WxLink graphical weather services, flight following, e-mail messaging, engine trend monitoring and reporting, and cockpit Internet connection for aircraft management services.

“Reliable, affordable satellite telephony and data services closes the last gap for GA pilot access to real-time weather and messaging services anywhere on the globe,” said Frank Williams, president of Arnav Systems. “Combining other avionics building blocks like graphical displays, GPS navigation, and engine monitoring with data link services allows for an unprecedented capability of information transfer between the aircraft and the ground. “Globalstar adds an additional connection to our other wireless VHF, UHF, and satellite networks that form the ARNAV Aeronautical Network. Along with the advanced weather products available today, new levels of safety and utility may be achieved in aviation.”

The AAN currently produces geo-referenced aviation weather products for the USA, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Central America, South America, North Atlantic, North Pacific, and South Pacific. Affordable satellite telephony is a ‘technology first’ for the thousands of GA aircraft that need voice communication outside of VHF/UHF radio range delivery. Initial customers for the Globalstar services will include cargo aircraft, emergency services, search and rescue, government agencies and aircraft with long range telephony and data link requirements. In applications with limited terrestrial communication availability, satellite access is more than a convenience – it is a critical communications link in the event of an emergency, as well as an asset to flight efficiency, said Arnav.

Arnav is announcing two Globalstar product offerings. The R-COM1000 is a voice telephony and packet data link system, comprised of a Qualcomm Mobile Phone, a phone docking station, an aircraft satellite antenna, and a cockpit integration module which interfaces the phone into the audio panel, aircraft power supply, and avionics display. Airborne phone access is accomplished via the avionics panel and the pilot headset(s). The phone can be undocked and used on the ground as a mobile satellite or cellular phone. The R- COM1000 will be offered at $9,995.00 with telephony service plans as low as $1.65 per minute.

As a data-only offering, Arnav will also introduce the R-COM50 packet data satellite transceiver. Data services offered will be WxLink weather services, e-mail, Out-Off-On-In messages (used to report aircraft operation data), automatic aircraft position reporting, engine trend monitoring and reporting, and dispatch management through the AAN Internet Gateway. The R-COM50 will be offered at $6,995.00.