As the demand for airborne applications increases, iDirect Government Technologies (iGT), a wholly owned subsidiary of VT iDirect (iDirect), launches new airborne solutions for secure connectivity and for monitoring satcom functions while in flight, providing situational awareness and enabling reliable command, control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

iGT's new Airborne In-Flight Monitoring System (AIMS) provides situational awareness with in-flight monitoring, allowing customers to view the status of the entire airborne communications system while in flight.

AIMS displays locally to the communications officer on board, providing the real-time position of the aircraft and information on when it is leaving one satellite coverage area and entering another.

Key Highlights:
+ User-friendly, real-time display of the inflight status of the aircraft

+ Provides situational awareness to communications officers aboard the aircraft

+ Works with iDirect modems, Rantec and TECOM antenna control units (ability to add additional antennas)

+ Displays contour maps with respect to aircraft location

+ Displays current beam and distance to beam switch

+ Allows users to manually switch satellite beams if they desire

+ Provides status messages that indicate when communications interruptions will occur due to beam switch

+ Allows user to log flight statistics into a keyhole markup language (KML) file for future analysis

+ Includes OpenAMIP interface standard for integration to any enabled airborne antenna

iGT is also launching its Evolution 8000 series airborne enclosure (e8000 AE) based on a 4MCU ARINC variant for permanent integration on aircraft.

Compliant with DO 160 certifications and the highest military security requirements, the e8000 AE provides fast, reliable and secure network connections for high-speed Communications on the Move (COTM) applications.

The router enables constant connectivity between manned and unmanned aircraft for uninterrupted command and control communications between theaters, ISR applications and the transmission of high-definition imagery from the aircraft to soldiers on the ground. The e8000 AE joins iGT's existing 19-inch rack-mountable airborne remote, the e8000 AR XL.

Key Highlights:
+ Protects mission-critical military broadband applications with transmission security and advanced encryption standard

+ Certified DO160G --meets commercial platform-type airborne operational requirements

+ Meets MIL STD EMI specifications for aircraft

+ Supports Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 encryption (It is the only FIPS 140-2 encryption certified router.)

+ Rugged airborne-certified interfaces for high performance and easy integration on aircraft

+ Spread-spectrum technology provides bandwidth and spectral efficiencies that enable the use of ultra-small and phased array antennas on low- and high-speed aircraft

+ Supports all antenna variants, and X, Ku, Ka and military Ka bands

+ Fully enabled for iDirect's Global Network Management System and provides automatic beam switching technology for global coverage

+ Utilizes OpenAMIP standard for antenna integration

"iGT's new AIMS and airborne remote support broadband capabilities for voice, video and data applications that enable ISR, military, government agency and emergency response missions," said John Ratigan, President of iGT. "These latest innovations are delivering the solutions our customers need to perform mission-critical tasks with dependable satcom connectivity."

AIMS and the e8000 AE will be highlighted at the 2013 SOFIC Conference and Exhibition, May 14-16, Tampa, FL, in iGT's booth #212. iGT is committed to delivering complete airborne solutions and is a government leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.