Boeing and Gogo test satellite-linked military drone in challenge to Starlink
Boeing's Insitu and Gogo have successfully tested a military drone communicating over satellite, linking the Integrator drone to Eutelsat OneWeb's network in a bid to cut dependence on Starlink.
Boeing’s drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation Wi-Fi provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications, the companies said on Tuesday, in a push to reduce reliance on Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Gogo Special Missions, the military and government arm of Gogo, and Insitu integrated a modified version of Gogo’s Galileo HDX antenna onto Insitu’s Integrator drone, a mid-sized uncrewed aircraft used by military customers for surveillance and reconnaissance, Reuters reported.
The system would give the Integrator high-speed global internet through Eutelsat OneWeb’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network, and would not be subject to US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) — easing exports to international customers.
“Adding an ITAR-free, high-speed SATCOM option is an essential capability for our global customers,” John Kelly, Insitu’s vice president of growth, said in a statement, adding the technology would extend command-and-control range and allow faster transmission of sensor data from the battlefield.
No timeline for deploying the system was disclosed. The announcement comes as European governments and some in the Pentagon voice concerns about over-reliance on Starlink, whose constellation of thousands of satellites dwarfs those of its rivals.
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