ThinAir Commercial IFC Antennas
ThinKom Solutions, Inc.
ThinKom's ThinAir family of phased-array in-flight connectivity (IFC) antennas provide high-capacity, multi-orbit satellite connectivity for commercial airline passengers.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Data rate
- 800 Mbps
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Motor type
- High-torque brushless DC motors
- RF layers
- Three, entirely passive
- Electronics location
- Hosted in cabin (protected)
- Profile
- Low profile, streamlined shape; lowest drag phased array on the market
- Orbit compatibility
- Multi-orbit: LEO, MEO, GEO and HEO with the same antenna
- Downlink data rate
- Up to 800 Mbps
- Uplink data rate
- Up to 200 Mbps
- Scan performance
- Superior low elevation scan performance vs. other phased array antennas, enabling high-latitude GEO operation
- Efficiency
- Significantly more efficient than any other phased array of the same size
- Reliability
- Highest guaranteed antenna MTBF on the market
About
ThinAir is ThinKom’s line of Ka/Ku-band phased-array antennas mounted under aircraft radomes to deliver in-flight connectivity (IFC) to airline passengers via satellite links. The antennas can switch seamlessly between LEO, MEO, GEO and HEO satellite orbits using the same hardware, supporting downlink data rates up to 800 Mbps and uplink up to 200 Mbps. Key design attributes include high-torque brushless DC motors with no contacting parts, enabling reliable, rapid satellite-to-satellite switching; three fully passive RF layers that increase efficiency and reduce prime power consumption; protected electronics hosted in the cabin rather than under the radome, improving reliability; and a low-profile, streamlined shape that gives the antennas the lowest drag of any phased array on the market. ThinKom states the antennas offer superior low-elevation scan performance versus competing phased arrays, allowing operation at high-latitude GEO look angles, and claims the highest guaranteed antenna MTBF (mean time between failures) on the market. The product family has accumulated numerous installations and operational hours across commercial airline fleets worldwide, serving millions of connected passengers.
Documentation
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