Satcom Helps Keep Aircraft Connected

Satellite-communications (satcom) networks may be associated with home entertainment, but they could be instrumental in maintaining communications on the battlefield as well. Especially with losses of aerospace and terrestrial communications links, satcom networks can enable active troops and battlefield equipment to remain connected at critical times and during highly contested activities.

Honeywell Aerospace has refined its Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) approach to the modern connected battlespace to provide consistent and resilient backups for beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) communications under the most challenging conditions. 

Wes Cook, Director of Technical Sales for the Honeywell Aerospace defense business unit, explains the significance of the PACE methodology: “Losing connectivity in the middle of a flight simply isn’t an option. In a military ecosystem that is more complex and contested than ever before, commanders need redundant, no-fail, BVLOS-capable communications capabilities to gain advantage over their adversaries. That’s where the tried-and-true PACE planning concept shows its value.”

The PACE method was developed so that a multiple-mission aircraft such as a C-130J can fly from its home base to a theater of operations and back without losing connectivity. 

Satellites within a PACE network act as nodes in the sky, moving data back and forth as needed. Honeywell recently demonstrated the PACE approach with its own test bed, based on a suitably equipped 757-200 aircraft from Boeing Co. and Forge software from Honeywell, with minimal loss of data during handoffs between communications methods.

As Cook noted, “We were able to aggregate connectivity from all satellite operators into a consolidated Enterprise Management and Control (EM&C) analytics stack, powered by Honeywell Forge, to provide real-time performance monitoring of the aircraft and onboard connectivity systems.” The PACE solution included Honeywell’s JetWave MCX broadband satcom equipment (see image above).