Three new aero antennas are arriving on the scene with the goal of shaking up aviation connectivity as we know it. They’re compact, lightweight and don’t follow traditional aviation industry standards. Notably, each one boasts the ability to support eye-watering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps per terminal.
Let’s extend a warm welcome to Amazon Leo’s electronically steered phased array antenna; ThinKom Solutions’ multi-orbit ThinAir Nexus mechanically steered phased array antenna; and SpaceX Starlink’s newest electronically steered phased array antenna.
Two of the three terminals — the Amazon Leo and Starlink ESAs — are part of each satellite operator’s vertically integrated inflight connectivity offerings, as powered by their respective Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, which in the former instance is a Ka-band LEO network that’s in the process of being built out, and will power IFC for JetBlue and Delta; and in the latter instance is an in-operation Ku-band LEO network that counts Air France, Alaska Airlines, IAG Group, Lufthansa Group, Qatar Airways, SAS, United Airlines and others as full-fleet customers.
The third piece of kit, ThinKom’s Ka-band multi-orbit ThinAir Nexus VICTS hardware, represents an open architecture approach for IFC; it can support LEO connectivity, including Telesat’s forthcoming Ka-band Lightspeed LEO service, as well as Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and geostationary (GEO) satcom in a package that’s similarly sized to single-orbit ESA solutions.
Each piece of hardware is obviously bringing something different to the table or rather, the fuselage. Let’s take a closer look.
Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna
A day before the massive Aircraft Interiors Expo opened its doors in Hamburg, Amazon Leo divulged key details about its new antenna, which shares some of the same core technology that powers its enterprise-grade Leo Ultra antenna for private and public sector companies, but which, it said, has been “purpose-built for the demands and stresses of aviation.”
The ruggedized aero ESA, which will use aviation-grade connectors to link to aircraft power systems and communicate with interior wireless access points, is billed as offering no moving parts to reduce maintenance downtime, is capable of withstanding harsh weather and temperatures, and, impressively, can be installed atop an aircraft fuselage in a single overnight.
“The antenna’s low profile — it measures 58 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 2.6 inches high (147 by 76 by 6.6 centimeters) — minimizes added aircraft drag and fuel consumption. Its simple design with an integrated modem and streamlined mounting allows for single-day installation,” Amazon Leo said in a published statement.
Intrigued, we reached out to the Amazon subsidiary to learn more. Regarding antenna size, “the LRU itself measures 25.6″ x 29.7″ x 1.9″ while the installed assembly with its fairing measures 58″ x 30″ x 2.6″,” an Amazon Leo spokesperson explained.
This disclosure was also highlighted on the Amazon Leo stand at AIX. And photos of the so-called Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna were shared from AIX by Amazon exec Panos Panay on X.
As RGN readers are well aware, unique new aero antenna architectures have emerged in recent years to support broadband inflight connectivity including but not limited to Starlink’s two phased array antennas for large aircraft (in a bandwidth play) and even a three-ESA Starlink configuration for Emirates’ Airbus A380 super jumbos; as well as the forthcoming Hughes Network Systems hybrid solution comprising a Hughes LEO-only ESA plus a ThinKom Ka2517 VICTS antenna.
Is there really no need for Amazon Leo to install two entirely separate ESAs on larger aircraft, we asked?
“[O]nly one antenna is required to serve a full aircraft, even widebody jets,” assured the Amazon Leo spokesperson, adding:
We also asked if Amazon Leo is providing SLAs (service level agreements) as part of its IFC commitments to airlines, to which the firm replied: “We’re not sharing details of our customer deals, but Amazon is known for its customer obsession and the quality of its products and services, and that applies to inflight connectivity too.”
As to when flight-testing of the new aero ESA will start and on what aircraft type, “We announced plans to begin connecting JetBlue flights in 2027, and we’ll have more details to share about internal testing and the JetBlue rollout in the future,” the Amazon Leo spokesperson said of its launch customer, an Airbus A320 Family aircraft operator.
“Amazon Leo will typically hold its own STCs, and we’ll work with integrators as appropriate to facilitate certification.”
The renderings shared by Amazon Leo show an install on a Boeing 737 MAX 9. Whether or not that is meaningful to the STC discussion in the near-term, we can’t say. Delta, which will start bringing Amazon Leo to 500-plus aircraft in 2028, has orders with Boeing for 100 MAX 10s.
The US major is also in talks with Airbus around possibly having Amazon Leo linefitted to future Airbus aircraft deliveries under the airframer’s new HBCplus modular program, which is slated to be available in 2028.
Also of note: Amazon Leo is building a large distributed network with more than 300 ground gateways around the world “to reduce network latency and enhance resilience.” Each satellite communicates with the gateway antennas which in turn use AWS’s global fiber network to reach the nearest AWS edge location “and then onward to the internet, a customer’s resources on AWS or another cloud provider, or a customer’s private network.”
Over oceans, polar routes and other remote places, Amazon Leo satellites will use laser links to transmit data between each other and relay user data “to and from the most logical nearby ground gateways,” Amazon Leo said.
For its part, AWS customer Delta previously told RGN it plans to “integrate AWS, Amazon Leo and other Amazon technologies to elevate the customer experience across the entire travel journey” the 500-plus aircraft it has earmarked for Amazon Leo.
ThinKom Solutions ThinAir Nexus
Over at ThinKom Solutions, the firm used the occasion of AIX to reveal what chairman and CTO Bill Milroy described as “the smallest multi-orbit IFC antenna on the planet or off the planet for that matter.”
Capable of supporting LEO/MEO/GEO IFC on everything from regional jets to large widebodies, and boasting a simple four-lug install process, the kit shares many of the same capabilities as ThinKom’s popular Ka2517 VICTS antenna, including the EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) “with about 2dB taken off the G/T (gain-over-temperature), with the same transmit capability,” Milroy explained.
In some ways, ThinAir Nexus is effectively a clever repackaging of the firm’s Ka1717 VICTS hardware, which is now flying on Delta’s regional jet fleet.
Milroy divulged:
A Seamless Air Alliance Category 4 antenna that complies with ARINC 791 standards, the larger Ka2517 is often described as being ‘three to four times’ as efficient as competing systems. But at a time when slimline ESAs and corresponding NGSO-powered IFC services are attracting airline customers due in part to their petite size, ThinKom saw the opportunity to address the size factor with ThinAir Nexus.
“So, what we decided to do is to make a point,” Milroy said, and “make the smallest antenna and remain the most efficient. So instead of three to four times as efficient, we’re two to three times as efficient [with Nexus]. So, we still call that a win.”
ThinKom has not abandoned ARINC 791 or 792 standards; it still thinks “that’s very important to the parts. But it seems like not everybody wants it so the Nexus is a four-lug fit, it’s fast to put on. And that’s the other thing we’re hearing from the airlines, they want to put it on in under a day,” noted the ThinKom executive.
Interestingly, in keeping with new LEO-only ESA configurations on the market, including those which are integrated with the antenna as outside aircraft equipment (OAE), airlines can choose from a variety of modem placement options with ThinAir Nexus.
“An integrated modem can join the KANDU and KRFU integrated on the antenna outside the fuselage for maximum simplicity and minimum interior impact. Alternatively, ThinAir Nexus supports a multi-modem MODMAN as interior equipment, boosting constellation compatibility and network redundancy,” ThinKom explained in a statement. The latter, with placement in the avionics bay, is still often favored by airframers.
“We’re trying to react to what the market is doing. But we’re not replacing the Ka2517,” which forms the basis of Airbus’ existing linefit, supplier-furnished Ka-band HBCplus terminal, or indeed the Ka1717, Milroy told RGN at AIX.
“We envision carrying those” as well as the ThinAir Plus architecture (Ka2517 + LEO-only ESA, an iteration of which is rolling out for Hughes customer Delta). But the California firm is also clearly staying flexible to meet the needs of the ever-evolving IFC market.
Starlink’s “newest aviation kits”
Last but certainly not least, SpaceX Starlink has shared some rather interesting messaging of late about its “newest aviation kits.”
Heading into AIX, it touted in a brochure that: “Starlink can deliver up to 1 Gbps per aircraft, enabling all passengers to access streaming-capable Internet at the same time. Enjoy unprecedented inflight experiences with latency below 150ms, enabling seamless 4K video calls, online gaming, virtual private networks, and other latency-dependent activities.” (pdf document on AIX web site)
But after Emirates announced its three-ESA install for the A380 on 27 April, global head of Starlink aviation partnerships Nick Seitz published a post on LinkedIn, in which he shared the Emirates press release and said, “Welcome to the era of multi-gigabit inflight internet! For the first time ever, Starlink is installing systems on commercial aircraft capable of 2 Gbps +.”
One day later, in a statement published on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, and in what might be seen as a small clarification, Starlink suggested that its “newest aviation kits are capable of delivering up to 1 Gbps per terminal and multi-gigabit connectivity per aircraft to provide an even better high-speed internet experience for passengers and crew from gate to gate.”
Some industry observers see Starlink’s latest revelations as a response to Amazon Leo’s ‘up to 1 Gbps’ messaging.
Lest passengers get the wrong idea, the gig and multi-gig level speeds now being being touted by multiple stakeholders represent the total bandwidth available for each plane (or indeed the capabilities of the antenna hardware or both).
Regardless, this sort of functionality is simply extraordinary. The mind boggles at what can be achieved, not just from a #PaxEx standpoint, but also operationally.
As a rural residential user of Starlink, with a single phased array antenna sitting in the front yard, your author does wonder if the aviation market will ultimately take precedence over us early ground-based adopters.
The Starlink-powered Wi-Fi in my home is certainly still largely quite solid, and speed tests suggest the same, but they’re not quite the scorching speeds I observed in the early days.
Perhaps I just need to add a few more antennas?
Related Articles:
• How Airbus is working to facilitate Delta Air Lines’ IFC vision
• Viasat readies for new AERA with ViaSat-3 F2, multi-beam ESA
• Gilat confident on entering Airbus catalog
• Amazon Leo to serve as launchpad for more Delta brand experiences
• Panasonic, Spacesail to launch multi-network LEO IFC in 2027
• Saudia turns to NSG IFC for “significant” portion of fleet
• Air India taps Hughes multi-orbit primed IFC for tranche of widebodies
• Lufthansa Group to retain current IFC until Starlink pivot is complete
Featured image credited to Amazon Leo
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