ThinKom Secures Type Approval for Avanti Communications' HYLAS Ka-band Satellites

ThinKom's ThinAir^® Ka2517 and GT 2517 terminals open new opportunities for commercial and government aircraft connectivity and critical broadband communications including ISR

HAWTHORNE, Calif. and LONDON, England – June 12, 2023 – ThinKom Solutions, Inc. has secured type approval for communications across Avanti Communications’ (“Avanti”) fleet of HYLAS Ka-band satellites. The agreement covers both the ThinAir^® Ka2517 antenna for commercial aviation and the GT 2517 full-spectrum terminal for government and military services.

ThinKom’s ThinAir terminals deliver outstanding throughput on forward and return links across Avanti’s high-throughput beams. This capability allows government customers to provide real-time data and communications for critical missions. It also enables another layer of Ka-band coverage redundancy for commercial and government missions.

Avanti’s fleet of four HYLAS Ka-band satellites offer 50 GHz capacity and cover more than 1.7 billion people in 118 countries. The UK-based company has a long history supporting government and defense customers and is a trusted provider of Satellite Communications (SATCOM) to US, UK and global government agencies.

“We’re proud of the market-leading performance our terminals bring to the industry,” noted Bill Milroy, ThinKom’s Chairman and Chief Technology Officer. “With the Avanti HYLAS type certification, we’re able to once again extend available communication options with the addition of yet another key satellite constellation, further increasing the reach for our customers.”

The low-profile ThinAir terminals mean more fuel-efficient aircraft activity for lower aircraft operating costs and extended time on station. The flight-proven, high reliability of ThinAir systems also reduces aircraft downtime and component swap requirements previously needed for different mission deployments.

Donald Walker, Director of Government Sales at Avanti, added, “At Avanti, we are committed to delivering the very best service to our customers and users. Our Ka-band high-throughput satellite capacity delivers assured, flexible high-capacity connectivity for every requirement. This latest type-approval for ThinKom will help further our shared mission to deliver security and reliability to those who need it most.”

The ThinAir GT 2517 satcom aero terminal builds on ThinKom’s field-proven, patented VICTS phased-array technology. VICTS antennas have an unparalleled record of reliability with over 40 million hours of accrued flight time and a mean-time-between-failure exceeding 100,000 hours. The ThinAir GT platform supports the full range of Ka-band frequencies, as well as wide instantaneous bandwidth for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), hopping waveforms, and Protected Tactical Waveforms (PTW), delivering increased flexibility for government communications missions.

Avanti has over 100 fixed beams, 5 steerable beams and a steerable cluster of 8 beams delivering services across EMEA, Asia and the Americas. Compatible Ka2517 and GT 2517 terminals are in service today on both commercial and government aircraft. ThinKom antennas have been providing continuous service on U.S. government aircraft since 2018.