Future-proof SATCOM for government UAS users

Mission creep has a firm grip on the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) community – especially the requirement for sensor/video backhaul connectivity over satellite communications (SATCOM). In the last five years alone, Combatant Commands (COCOMs) have employed UAS assets in ever-increasing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations, leaving acquisition commands on a constant hunt for a SATCOM end-to-end solution. They are seeking a reliable and flexible solution that provides persistent communications coverage and quick-reaction capabilities for global Airborne ISR (AISR) missions and expeditionary Command and Control (C2), today and in the future.

Inmarsat has stood at the forefront of reliable, global mobile SATCOM for more than four decades, delivering the highest safety at sea and in the air. We provide global coverage, consistently superior performance and quick-reaction surge capability for hot spots – enabling full situational awareness and mission success for a wide range of UAS uses. We support symmetric and asymmetric solutions for sensor backhaul requirements. We offer an ecosystem of unparalleled attributes created just for UAS:

Global coverage – with regional depth, polar and follow-me roaming. Responding to emerging Areas of Responsibility (AORs) – like the Arctic or open ocean – UAS assets benefit from SATCOM solutions that work anywhere and under most conditions, such as over open-water shipping lanes and hostile environments. We deliver our L- and K-band services worldwide via Inmarsat’s global constellation – including polar with the extension of the Global Xpress Ka-band service to the Arctic region starting in 2023. With a single subscription, users acquire persistent communications coverage with committed information rates. Regional depth capabilities and follow-me roaming are achieved through Inmarsat military Ka steerable beams, bringing an abundance of bandwidth and interoperability with MILSATCOM systems.

A flexible and highly available network. We ensure 99.9% satellite network availability and secure and resilient terrestrial back-haul options – the last critical mile. Often dismissed as someone else’s problem, a poor backhaul strategy will leave your video stranded on the platform until it lands or causes excessive latency issues. Inmarsat’s backhaul architectures work in terrestrial fiber-denied AORs where security and low latency are critical.

SWaP-optimized user terminals. Traditional SATCOM terminals do not work for most UAS platforms – they are too large and heavy, while using too much power. So, we partnered with leading innovative terminal manufacturers to produce hardware antennas and terminals that meet low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) requirements and high-throughput capability. We now have a selection of ultra-small L-band terminals with apertures as small as 5.0“ x 5.0“ x 1.0“, as light as 3 lbs. and speeds from 200 kbps to as high as 3 Mbps in both directions. In Ka-band, we offer terminals as small as 12” with speeds over 4 Mbps in commercial and 20 Mbps in military Ka-band, from the UAS platform.

Responsive service integration. Our in-house and partner teams of SATCOM engineers bring decades of UAS experience – including operations and acquisition, airborne SATCOM integration, SATCOM hardware development and backhaul design. These teams respond rapidly to a wide range of mission and budget requirements and ensure each UAS integration results in an end-to-end solution that meets customer-specific needs.

Flexible service plans that scale and port to fit unpredictable budgets. Every UAS program is unique, which is why our data plans scale up and down either by mission, budget or region. Whether opting to “pay as you go” or lease large frequency segments, our UAS customers can port one subscription throughout multiple platforms. A single subscription plan supports multiple aircraft en route, for instance, with users transferring service from a platform in Europe to another in Africa in just hours.

At Inmarsat, we are about results. UAS users turn to us because of our proven track record and performance benefits. For example, we supported General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA ASI) in a trans-Atlantic flight test with Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, with GA ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian™ flying from Grand Forks, N.D. to Gloucestershire, U.K. We constantly develop unique and highly capable terminal designs and advanced network configurations so our customers’ UAS will continue to exceed expectations for AISR and C2 missions with seamless Beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity.

As we continue with this blog series, we will discuss each of our SATCOM UAS ecosystem components in more detail, with part II focusing on global coverage. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you connect with more reliable, flexible and capable SATCOM, please contact us.

Tom Costello is Chief Commercial Officer of Inmarsat Government Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inmarsat Group Holdings Limited, and the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications to the United States government.

Tom oversees the commercial strategy and operations for Inmarsat’s satellite communication services and solutions offered to the U.S. government market sector. This includes pricing, market development, marketing, channel management, market requirements and sales operations.

Mr. Costello has over 25 years of experience in business development, channel management and product management. Prior to joining Inmarsat Government, Mr. Costello served as Vice President Market Development for Inmarsat. Prior to that he held various leadership and management positions for Stratos, Iridium and the White House Communication Agency.

Mr. Costello earned his BS in Computer Science from the St. Norbert College.