Optimising for impact
The success of UltraAIR proved that aircraft-to-satellite optical data links are technologically feasible. These secure, ultra-high-speed data links are difficult to jam or intercept, and can be used to secure military and drone communication. They can also enable secure, high-bandwidth in-flight internet on civilian aircraft. Yet several steps are required to ensure the technology can be effectively implemented in the variety of military and civilian applications that can benefit from it.
Three pillars, one mission
In AirCAT, TNO is leading a consortium of partners dedicated to making significant progress toward scalability and industry application. In three distinct project pillars, the teams will work in parallel to accelerate development. These include:
Flight Demonstration
TNO and partners will develop a demonstrator optimized for size, weight and power consumption, ensure it complies with the latest SDA/ESTOL standards, increase the operational link range and address cost and integration challenges. Most importantly, they will enable links with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. The ambition is to connect with terminals in ESA’s HydRON network.
At the same time, consortium partners will collect and organise the key use cases and requirements from military and civilian users. This will provide relevant specifications to accelerate the development of future end-product aircraft-to-satellite optical terminals.
Technological Development
The project team will develop the technologies needed to build the future terminals, de-risking key building blocks and providing a technological head start on the airborne networks of the future.
Industry first
AirCAT is intended to de-risk the technological development of these critical air-to-space optical data links. It is a key example of how TNO works as a bridge between what is technologically feasible and what is effectively applicable in the industry. By taking this step, AirCAT will be the first project to bring this remarkable technology within reach for the military and civilian developers who can most benefit from it.
Instead of optimising the system to its technological limits, the consortium will focus on actual user needs, platform integration, affordability and other key industrial challenges. This will ensure that the development of future optical data networks for specific applications can be more streamlined, more robust, and more rapid. As many of the technologies needed will be developed during AirCAT, industry players will have a head start on development.
The role of LioniX International
Developing a photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based inertial navigation system (INS) that provides highly accurate and stable orientation information for precise laser beam pointing and tracking. Leveraging its expertise in integrated photonics, LioniX is creating a compact, low-SWaP navigation solution tailored to the demanding requirements of airborne optical satellite communication.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
🌐 Visit the project’s website for all the details of the full objectives and project partners
Funded by:
