JANUS AERO ENABLES SATCOM CONNECTIVITY FOR SURVEILLANCE OF G7 SUMMIT

ATR-P 72A MPA aircraft equipped with the Space Engineering Janus Aero antenna systemDuring the latest G7 Summit in Taormina, Italy, in May 2017, the surrounding area was monitored using an aircraft of the Italian Ministry of Defense, specifically an ATR-P 72A MPA aircraft equipped with the Space Engineering Janus Aero antenna system. This is part of the Satcom system used by Leonardo Airborne and Space Systems Division (ASSD). The aircraft provided video footage monitoring of the Summit area.

Janus Aero is a unique, low-profile, multiband antenna system conceived for complex ISR missions (Intelligence, Reconnaissance & Surveillance) where agility and loss-free scanning at a wide range of elevation angles are essential features.

Aircraft's route over Taormina, Italy - May 2017

Thanks to Janus, the unique concept patented by Space Engineering, a continuous and flexible broadband service can be offered thanks to a dual band (Ku/Ka) configuration with remote switching.

The independence of the RF chains from the reflector optics makes Janus Aero easy to manufacture and fit into an aircraft.

Janus Aero antenna systems are currently commercialized and provided by Space Engineering to Leonardo ASSD and installed on board the ATR72MP aircraft for the Italian MoD. A custom version of Janus Aero is currently being developed by Space Engineering for another aircraft type, the Piaggio P1HH UAV.

The Janus Aero product line addresses the key market needs of satcom airborne applications:

  • High gain with high RF power handling
  • Low profile to fit under standard radomes
  • Low weight thanks to a common  aperture for Tx and Rx
  • Loss-free scanning, when scanning from 0 to 90 degrees and
  • Multi-polarizations with automatic polarization switching for efficient spectrum usage.Dual band (Ku/Ka) configuration

Space Engineering is an Italian leader in the space industry, part of Airbus Group in the Space Systems business line of Defence and Space division. With more than 28 years of experience, Space Engineering has an outstanding heritage in Antennas, RF and Digital Equipment, and Communication Protocol and System Design. The Italian leader has international patents in the areas of antennas, radars, scientific software and Digital Signal Processing, and they innovate in 5G and EO through the use of flexible antennas and payloads, multiband ground terminals, M2M gateways, Inter-Satellite Link Solutions and smart modems.

“The European Space Agency ARTES Core Competitiveness Program and the support received from the Italian Space Agency have been key elements in the  development and test in an operational environment of the Janus Aero antenna system”, says Sabino Titomanlio, Head of Products & Solutions department at Space Engineering, “We consider ARTES Core Competitiveness Program a fundamental tool for the new strategy of the Company oriented to the development of market products”.

Published 29 January 2018
Last updated at 29 January 2018 - 17:14