Boeing offers better In-Flight Connectivity options

Boeing continues to advance its suite of connectivity offerings for customers, signing a contract with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to produce a new radome, the Boeing Tri-band. The radome will support Ku and K/Ka wideband commercial and military satellite communications. The Boeing Tri-band radome is the latest of several Boeing initiatives to provide safe and reliable passenger services, such as in-flight use for cell phones, internet access via Wi-Fi connectivity and live satellite television broadcasts. It will be available for both retrofit and production airplane installation in the fourth quarter of 2015. A radome, a combination of “radar” and “dome,” is a weatherproof structure that protects an airplane’s antenna to enable reliable satellite communications. The Boeing Tri-band is approximately the size of a car-top luggage carrier and has a maximum weight of 80 pounds. It is designed for use with antennas from multiple manufacturers and with data services from all current providers, offering more passenger connectivity choices for Boeing airplane operators. Based on Boeing’s proven Ku-band radome design, the new design meets or exceeds current Ku-band radome performance and also provides industry-leading performance for Ka-band operators.