Inmarsat Aviation, GDC Receive FAA STC for Falcon 300 Terminal on Boeing 737s
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GDC Advanced Technology has received a supplemental type certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the installation of its Falcon 300 terminal, which was developed together with Inmarsat Aviation, onboard Boeing 737 aircraft.
The lightweight, low-drag solution is made up of GDC Advanced Technology’s dual modem manager (MODMAN), components from Kontron and a flat panel antenna provided by ThinKom Solutions.
It is compatible with Inmarsat Aviation’s GX+ North America solution, which combines the Global Xpress (GX) network with Hughes’ Ka-band JUPITER High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) constellation.
The STC was obtained under GDC’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The companies are now working on the completion of STCs for additional aircraft types in addition to linefit approval for both Boeing and Airbus airframes.
“The technology is ready to go right now and installations are set to begin in 2022,” said Kurt Weidemeyer, Inmarsat Aviation’s SVP Technology. “This terminal enables connectivity at greater speeds and even more reliably than ever before.”
SAUDIA was recently announced as the launch customer for the Falcon 300 terminal, and is planning to linefit the solution onboard its upcoming fleet of 20 Airbus A321neo and 15 Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
Inmarsat Aviation also marked the fifth anniversary of GX Aviation during APEX/IFSA EXPO 2021.