Hanwha Phasor has partnered with Plexus to manufacture the world’s first commercial Comms-On-The-Move (COTM) SATCOM antenna. The company offers, as they state, the world’s first commercial, active, electronically-steered array (AESA) for satellite communications on the move.
Plexus will provide Hanwha Phasor with product development support and design for manufacture, test development and supply chain optimization services in the run-up to product launch.
Pending a successful joint production readiness review, Plexus will provide volume manufacturing, aftermarket support and logistics services using its global manufacturing capacity worldwide, starting with its Kelso and Livingston sites in the UK.
Hanwha Phasor’s antenna – an orbit-interoperable, ultra-low profile, high-gain array for satellite communications on the move – is aimed at the enterprise market. It will be launched for land and marine applications initially. Releases for inflight connectivity will follow.
A radical departure from traditional parabolic reflectors, its antenna, radome and entire RF chain is encompassed in a flat, solid-state 7 cm (2¾ inch) deep structure. The antenna uses less power and generates less heat than conventional arrays due to the inventive way it forms beams (analogue RF at baseband).
Kevin Walsh, Chief Operating Officer, Hanwha Phasor, said, “Reinforced by this partnership with Plexus, we are building the foundations of a formidable operations capability which we will continue to enhance as we progress through product launch to customer support in the field.”
Anthony Green, Senior Director Aerospace and Deference – EMEA, Plexus said, “Solid-state, flat panel arrays will revolutionize mobile communications in extreme conditions and remote locations. Hanwha Phasor’s antenna is advanced in development terms and offers a technology dividend when it comes to performance relative to the space it takes up. Space and satellite communications is a key growth area in which we have invested for some time, working with major players in the industry on space and ground stations applications for commercial and defence satellite markets. We are pleased to add Hanwha Phasor to our customer base of leading innovators and technology disruptors.”
