Insight | Resilience and reliability in the sky
Government
Whether conducting Head of State transportation, medical evacuation (medevac), Search and Rescue, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) or utility missions, rotary wing operations for government customers increasingly require connectivity for simultaneous video, voice and data services.
Traditionally, when rotary blades block transmitted data packets, they negatively affect data service to rotary wing platforms, impacting both the quality of service and achievable bandwidth. However, recent Inmarsat innovations in satellite technology, hardware platforms and the evolution of advanced L-band utilisation techniques are addressing this issue to ensure resilient and reliable connectivity. In a published white paper, RotorConnect: Rotary Wing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Distribution and Lights Out Operation, I summarise how Inmarsat’s new hybrid SwiftBroadband and L-band Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (LAISR) streaming solution, RotorConnect, is supporting rotorcraft missions globally.
Through its development of LAISR product spirals and implementation of new services such as High Data Rate (HDR) SwiftBroadband and SwiftBroadband Helo X-Stream services, Inmarsat Government offers a solution that combines the best available space segment, ground segment, hardware, and resilient waveforms to deliver high quality video to the rotorcraft during mission operations – providing near-real-time intelligence to platforms while on their way to a location.
Inmarsat recognises that the rapid and cost-effective commercial innovation of products and services built to government’s requirements optimises mission success. We are constantly listening to our customers and exploring new ways to solve their problems – a commitment that results in innovations such as our RotorConnect solution.
To learn more about RotorConnect, please click here to read our white paper.
Kenneth Mann is Vice President of Solutions Development of Inmarsat Government Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inmarsat plc, the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications to the United States government.
Mr Mann is responsible for solutions engineering, tactical and strategic solution design, and product development. Under his leadership, these teams develop complex solutions that may include any combination of bandwidth, throughput, terminals, other user equipment, teleports, terrestrial tail circuits, networks, integration and engineering services, and installation, operations, and maintenance.
Mr Mann is a veteran of the U.S. Army with over 15 years of experience in satellite communications. His military career covered many areas to include satellite payload and Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C), Engineering, VSAT operation and maintenance, Teleport operations and maintenance, and system testing and development. He holds a BS in Information Systems from Strayer University.
