Dassault Falcon to Offer SKYLinkSM by ARINC Direct Satellite Broadband on New Falcon 7XOctober 17, 2006Annapolis, Maryland—ARINC DirectSM today announced its SKYLinkSM high-speed satellite broadband solution has been selected by Dassault Falcon Jet as the factory broadband communications option for the new Falcon 7X ultra-long-range corporate aircraft. The highly anticipated Falcon 7X is due for certification in 2007. Dassault Falcon has already received more than 90 orders for delivery between 2007 and 2010. “We are in the process of finalizing both commercial and technical agreements with Dassault Falcon,” stated Robert Thompson, ARINC Senior Director, Business Aviation Services. “ARINC is truly excited to partner with Europe’s dominant producer of business jets as our newest OEM customer for SKYLink.” ARINC and Dassault recently completed a successful SKYLink engineering analysis, and flight trials are anticipated after the first of the year. Paris-based Dassault recently received the largest business jet order in European history—a record U.S. $1.1 billion for 24 Falcon 7X aircraft from NetJets, Europe’s largest fractional operator of business jets with more than 1200 customers. “Dassault customers who experience SKYLink service will discover it turns a business aircraft into an office in the sky,” continued Thompson. “SKYLink provides high-speed connectivity from the ramp to cruising altitude, enabling a whole a range of vital business applications. It is a perfect fit for the fractional jet market and the many customers of Dassault Falcon.” SKYLink achieves blazingly fast connections to the Internet, virtual private networks, and corporate Intranets, delivering data to the aircraft faster than land-based digital subscriber lines—up to 3.5 Mbps. Data rates off the aircraft are 128 Kbps or 256 Kbps. SKYLink services are distributed to one or many users on board via a wired or wireless LAN. Services currently include Internet access, E-mail, fully managed corporate Intranet, Voice over IP (VoIP), Fax over IP, and videoconferencing. To achieve this, SKYLink uses extremely cost-effective avionics developed by ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT)—small and lightweight at just 42 pounds total for the entire system. ViaSat also provided SKYLink networking technology to carry transmission and reception on a single Ku-band transponder, further reducing SKYLink operating costs. SKYLink two-way broadband service is currently available over North America and 22 countries of Europe, with additional coverage of the North Atlantic flight tracks planned in 2007. ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,200 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified. Release: 06-161 Corporate Communications |
Search News |