Airbus announced on January 10 that it has signed an agreement with Dutch high-tech industrial supplier VDL Group for the development and manufacturing of UltraAir, a laser communication terminal for aircraft that could offer airline passengers high-speed data connections.
The partners are to prepare a demonstration of a prototype and a first test in 2024, based on the development led by Airbus and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).
Airbus said the aim, once testing is complete, is to further industrialise the system to make it ready for integration with a hosting aircraft.
UltraAir will "enable the exchange of large amounts of data using laser beams in a network of ground stations and satellites in geostationary orbit at 36,000 km above the Earth", paving the way for data transmission rates "that could reach several gigabits-per-second while providing anti-jamming and low probability of interception".
While the system is aimed at military use in the first instance, Airbus said it could be implemented on commercial aircraft to allow airline passengers to establish high-speed data connections.