Thuraya Aero by SCOTTY – Systems for Cockpit-Services

Status

Ongoing
Status date

2020-01-22
Activity Code

7A.056

Objectives

The project's first objective (in Phase 1) is to complete the development a working and reliable L-Band THURAYA Aero product portfolio by making the necessary qualification and flight tests (DO-160G, GMR-1 - RF-Qual, DO-254, THURAYA network approval).
The project's second and main objective (in Phase 2) is to enable non-safety related Cockpit-Services with the SatCom equipment. This includes electronic flight bags (EFB); routing, weather, maintenance, voice, video and other services not related to air traffic control (ATC) and flight critical parts of the aircraft itself.
The project's third objective (in Phase 3) is to start evaluating Safety-Services which are related to air traffic control communication and may interface with flight-critical parts of the aircraft.

Challenges

Creating a completely reliable system which is relatively inexpensive to procure, install, and implement.
Creating a system which has no unintentional effects on other vital aircraft systems.
Creating a system which is easy to understand, easy to use, and easily accepted by personnel in the air and on the ground.
Creating a system which is flexible and powerful enough to be compatible to future generations of SatCom networks.

Benefits

The product will offer a system which works over satellite in all weather and at relatively high data-rates using easy to install and inexpensive hardware compliant to a very robust and reliable communication network.

Features

The system features both versatile and compact mechanically steered SatCom antennas as well as slender aerodynamically optimized phased-array antenna systems together with an ARINC-600 / 2 MCU SCOTTY Satellite Data Unit (SDU) which is optimized for the L-Band THURAYA Aero network. This DO-160G, GMR-1 - RF-Qual, and DO-254 certified hardware transmits and receives non-safety related Cockpit-Service information and can be later adapted for Safety-Services related use.

System Architecture

The architecture of the system begins with the on board hardware:

And continues with the overall communication infrastructure:

Plan

There are Technology, Product, Demonstration/Trials and Definition phases in scope of the activity.

The project's first objective in Phase 1 is to complete the development a working and reliable L-Band THURAYA Aero product portfolio. The project's second and main objective in Phase 2 is to enable non-safety related Cockpit-Services with the SatCom equipment. The project's third objective in Phase 3 is to start evaluating Safety-Services which are related to air traffic control communication and may interface with flight-critical parts of the aircraft.

Current status

Phase 1 of the project is completed. Technology development work for Phase 2 is underway.