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Satellite Internet

Boeing's Insitu and Gogo test satellite-linked military drone in challenge to Starlink

Boeing drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation Wi-Fi provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications, in a bid to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink.

By Tom Ellery · · Updated · 1 min read

An Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack uncrewed aircraft — the military variant of the Integrator — in flight.

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 bid 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, a mid-sized uncrewed aircraft used by military customers for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

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, easing exports to international customers.

“Adding an ITAR-free, high-speed SATCOM option is an essential capability for our global customers,” Insitu vice president of growth John Kelly said in a statement, adding that the technology would extend command-and-control range and allow faster transmission of sensor data from the battlefield. The companies did not disclose a deployment timeline.

The test comes as drone warfare has become central to military strategy since Russia’s war in Ukraine. Supplying Starlink and its government-focused Starshield service to military users is now a major revenue source for Musk’s SpaceX, but European governments and some in the Pentagon have voiced concerns about over-reliance on Starlink.

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More on this topic: all Satellite Internet stories

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