MUNICH, Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mynaric and H3
HATS today announced the successful start of a joint demonstration
campaign to showcase laser communication capabilities for
high-altitude long endurance aircraft using industrialized optical
communications terminals. Initial flights of the campaign
demonstrated key performance criteria of Mynaric's HAWK product
currently in pre-series production onboard one of H3 HATS'
aircraft. Where previous tests of this nature have used one-off
prototypes or technology demonstrators, today's announcement marks
the world's first demonstration of an industrialized optical
communications terminal for airborne applications.
Initial flights of the campaign utilized a setup of two of
Mynaric's manufactured HAWK products for airborne laser
communication on the ground and mounted in the fuselage payload bay
of a G520NG aircraft, respectively, to demonstrate air-to-ground
links. The setup was recently cleared for flight by all relevant
regulatory aviation authorities. The first flights of the campaign
demonstrated stable bidirectional laser links with 10 Gbps speed
between the aircraft and the terminal on the ground during various
flight patterns.
"Closing laser communication links in the air is in many
dimensions a lot harder than in space given the aircrafts'
movements and atmospheric conditions," said Bulent Altan, CEO of Mynaric. "Having overcome
these challenges HAWK offers connectivity with unprecedented
security and bandwidth to airborne platforms. As the world's first
industrialized optical communications terminal for airborne
applications, it enables aeronautical communication capabilities
previously unimaginable. We are proud to have yet again advanced
the industrial frontier of laser communications and look forward to
expanding HAWK's mission envelope further as the flight campaign
with H3 HATS progresses."
"Our customers today are stuck with sub-par data rates in the
low Mbps for air-to-ground use cases and are limited to no real
available solutions for air-to-air connectivity," said Tina
Ghataore, Chief Commercial Officer of Mynaric. "Our HAWK product
line hits the perfect sweet spot to transfer large quantities of
data with Gbps quickly and securely. From Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Systems, to Transport and Commercial Aircraft, we see our products
becoming integral to future airborne and mobility networks."
The flight campaign utilizes a G520NG aircraft suited for manned
or unmanned missions at high altitudes of up to 50,000 ft and for
long endurances. The addition of the HAWK optical communications
terminal to the aircraft extends its capabilities with secure and
undetectable high-speed communication particularly relevant for
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), broadband
provisioning and other missions from high altitudes. HAWK has been
designed for secure real-time broadband communication within a wide
array of airborne applications and small size, weight and power
(SWaP) requirements. The product is currently in pre-series
production at Mynaric's production facility that was inaugurated in
June 2021.
"Congratulations, to the demonstration of this high-speed laser
communication, which we see as an important step for our
high-altitude platforms," said Robert
Schmoldt, COO of H3 HATS. "The used aircraft G520NG was
fully operated from the ground station and showed the UAV
capability which is required for our flying telecommunication tower
concept."
The partnership between Mynaric and H3 HATS foresees an
expansion of HAWK's suitable mission envelope in upcoming flights
and joint customer demonstrations going forward. The HAWK optical
communications terminal for airborne laser communication is
currently included in flight campaigns with customers and partners
in Europe and the United States. Mynaric has a long
track-record of demonstrating laser communication's use for
airborne applications. Today's announcement marks yet another
milestone of the company's efforts to unlock the industrial age of
laser communications.
About H3 HATS
Germany-based H3 HATS is a
subsidiary of the internationally renowned H3 AEROSPACE specialized
in development, production and services of high-altitude platforms.
H3 Aerospace is one of the world's largest and most experienced
composite aircraft manufacturers since 1971. Within its 50 years of
history, the company delivered more than 3,500 aircraft that have
flown over seven million hours on five continents. Its product
range evolved from pioneering gliders of the 70s, the
record-breaking high-altitude aircraft G520, G850 and being the
world market leader for training aircrafts with the G120TP. Learn
more at H3-HATS.com.
About Mynaric
Mynaric (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: M0Y, ISIN: DE000A0JCY11)
produces the optical fiber for the skies and, as a pioneer of laser
communication, enables extremely fast and secure wireless data
transmission between aircraft, drones and satellites. Globally, the
need for fast and ubiquitous network connectivity is advancing
inexorably. Data networks such as the internet are now largely
based on infrastructure on the ground which cannot be expanded
arbitrarily for legal, economic or logistical reasons. The future,
therefore, calls for an expansion of the existing network
infrastructure into air and space. Mynaric provides laser
communication products to establish the necessary data highways for
telecommunication constellations in air and space. Learn more at
mynaric.com.
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