Honeywell prepares the next steps of the JetWave MCX implementation
NewsMay 07, 2023
Flavia Camargos Pereira
Military Embedded Systems
SOF WEEK 2023 -- TAMPA, Fla. After receiving certification to operate its JetWave MCX Ka-band Satcom terminal on the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS), Honeywell Aerospace (Phoenix, Arizona) is now preparing the following stages of the system’s implementation.
After receiving certification to operate its JetWave MCX Ka-band satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal on the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS), Honeywell Aerospace (Phoenix, Arizona) is now preparing the following stages of the system’s implementation.
It will involve the supply of tailored solutions, says Steve Hollington, Senior Product Manager of the JetWave Satcom at Honeywell at the SOF Week exhibition, in Tampa, Florida.
“Next steps to JetWaveMCX implementation are customer-dependent as each customer must determine their overall network architecture to include the selection of a WGS-certified modem. Honeywell is ready to work with our MCX customers to integrate the selected modem(s) with our terminal”.
The system is designed to be a network-agnostic solution delivering advanced high-speed SATCOM capabilities needed for demanding mission profiles.
For the requirements of military and government operators, it can enable a wide variety of mission-critical applications, such as enroute mission communications, inflight threat updates, inflight mission planning and teleconferencing, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) video and data transmission, and secure communications.
JetWave MCX also enables global in-flight broadband data connectivity on nearly any commercial and military Ka-band network, including Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) network and WGS.
The WGS is a high-capacity U.S. Space Force SATCOM system planned for use in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Canadian Department of National Defense and the Australian Department of Defense.
The WGS network is also available to military operators using WGS-certified terminals in the nine countries participating in the WGS consortium: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Honeywell worked cooperatively with the ARSTRAT agency over several months to secure the WGS certification, which was obtained in January.
The process to obtain the credential “is highly demanding and rigorous, which makes it one of the most challenging certifications for any SATCOM manufacturer,” says Steve Hadden, the company’s vice president of services & connectivity explains. “The WGS certification further addresses operators’ sensitivity to operating expenses post-installation since the capability for interface to additional networks should contribute to lower operating expenses over the life of the terminal.”
It also means operators using the company’s JetWave MCX terminal have a new option when provisioning services for their terminal.
Inmarsat’s commercial Global Xpress and High-Capacity Cross Strap (HCX) military Ka beams continue to be available for JetWave MCX users as well. But now operators in WGS-participating countries can switch between WGS and other networks and select the network or networks that best meet their operational needs.
