UAS, Honeywell, and Hongkong Jet to sign partnership deal at ABACE 2019   

Shanghai | April 16, 2019– UAS International Trip Support and Honeywell are joining forces to provide global connectivity to the business jet fleet of leading Asia Pacific business aviation charter and management group Hongkong Jet with the implementation of UAS LinkEvolution™ for flight services and communication combined with Honeywell GoDirect cabin services for passenger connectivity.

The agreement will be formalised at a signing ceremony on the opening day of ABACE 2019 on Tuesday April 16^that 2 pm – on UAS booth A123. 

UAS LinkEvolution provides seamless global connectivity to the cockpit using powerful datalink satellite communications networks.  The forward-looking datalink solution delivers worldwide ACARS (datalink) service, as well as unlimited access to all worldwide VHF networks, including ARINC and SITA, as well as Inmarsat and Iridium satellite networks. It will also enable Hongkong Jet’s  fleet of several Gulfstream G650/G550, Falcon 8X, BBJ’s, and ACJ319 aircraft to keep abreast of datalink regulations and remain compliant, regardless of where the aircraft are flying.

UAS’ technology partner Honeywell is a global leader in the datalink-satellite communications arena, ensuring UAS’ offering is world-class.

The strategic alliance between the two companies originated in May 2017, when UAS International Trip Support and Honeywell ratified a partnership to expand Honeywell’s flight deck and cabin connectivity services through UAS LinkEvolution.

The benefits of using this communications technology include a single-vendor solution for the entire fleet;unlimited datalink communications over all VHF and satellite networks with no per kilobit charges or satellite premiums and reliable, 24/7 technical support, powered by Honeywell.

Omar Hosari, UAS Co-Owner/Founder and CEO said: “UAS is incredibly proud of the success we’ve had in promoting UAS LinkEvolution globally. We have been delivering cost-efficiency and reliability to operators since we began this partnership with Honeywell. we’re delighted to introduce Hongkong Jet to this technology and are confident their experience will be overwhelmingly positive.”

“Honeywell GoDirect will provide cabin connectivity service for Hongkong Jet’s fleet, including Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX Ka Band service that runs on Honeywell’s JetWave terminal.” said John Peterson, Vice President, Service and Connectivity, Honeywell Aerospace. “GoDirect offers a full suite of cabin connectivity services, along with cabin routers and tools to allow customization of the user experience in the cabin to provide passengers with the connectivity they desire within a set budget. Local technical support in Hong Kong plus the GoDirect global technical support team assures customer connectivity issues are addressed quickly and correctly.”

Hongkong Jet stated:  “UAS LinkEvolution offers a customized and responsive solution to our unique flight deck communication requirements.   It was a natural choice to make the switch, both in terms of performance and cost-efficiency. At Hongkong Jet we pride ourselves on being a well-informed, passionate team of experts who focus our undivided attention on providing business jet owners with a safe, professional, personal and proactive service that allows each aircraft owner to realize the full potential of business jet ownership. Now with the introduction of LinkEvolution services for the flight deck and Honeywell GoDirect cabin connectivity services we can continue to service our clients according to our company ethos.”

• Successful test flight completed using end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution

Cedar Rapids, Iowa | July 7, 2016– Rockwell Collins, in collaboration with The University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Lab (OPL), successfully controlled an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) using its end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution. The test flight was a key milestone toward the successful operation of UAS beyond an operator’s visual line of sight in the National Airspace System (NAS).

Key elements of Rockwell Collins’ UAS integrated avionics solution, which is optimized for safe and secure integration of UAS into civil airspace, include:

• A Ground Control Station based on Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion®—a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified integrated avionics solution
• A Command and Control Network that utilizes Rockwell Collins’ CNPC-1000 command and control data link, which is the first UAS data link to implement the recommended Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee (SC)-228 UAS Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for UAS Command and Control (C2)
• Rockwell Collins’ Athena® UAS avionics with integrated navigation and flight controls that have over a million hours of safe and reliable operation.

“A number of industries are very eager to use commercial UAS to make their operations much more efficient, especially those that need to monitor and inspect critical infrastructure such as railroads, pipelines and powerlines,” said John Borghese, vice president, Advanced Technology Center for Rockwell Collins. “In order to do that beyond line of sight in the NAS, safe and secure avionics must be implemented. We have now proven that it can be done and we are one step closer to making it a reality for this market.”

“Collaboration between private and public sectors is critical to ensuring the success of commercial UAS in the NAS,” said Dr. Thomas Schnell, director, The University of Iowa’s OPL, which provided two TBM-3M, aka “Ferox”, UAS for the flight testing.

In the coming weeks, Rockwell Collins plans to conduct its next UAS test flight, continuing to extend the range of safe beyond visual line of sight operations.

Rockwell Collins’ end-to-end UAS integrated avionics solution is optimized to scale from small to large UAS.