Avionics
Satcom Direct Keeps Bandeirante Connected
The first-ever Plane Simple Ku-band satcom installation for a turboprop will be in an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
Fototerra's Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante will be equipped with a Satcom Direct Plane Simple satellite communications system. (Photo: Satcom Direct)
Fototerra's Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante will be equipped with a Satcom Direct Plane Simple satellite communications system. (Photo: Satcom Direct)

Airborne mapping and sensing provider Fototerra needed a better way to transmit surveillance information for its oil and gas customers in Brazil, so the company looked into available satellite communications systems. However, satcoms that would fit on Fototerra’s Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante twin-turboprop offered limited speed and bandwidth, not enough to efficiently offload the massive amount of data gathered by the airplane while in flight, so the customer had to wait until the airplane neared the coast to transmit data via short-range microwave.


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