Boeing receives antenna contract from Yahsat

Boeing has finalised a firm-fixed-price contract with Al Yah Satellite Company (Yahsat), the UAE-based satellite operator, to design and build active electronically-steered phased-array antenna systems for aircraft.
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The small, state-of-the-art Ka-band phased-array satcom antenna system allows customers to take advantage of the significant increase in bandwidth offered by next-generation Ka-band satellites to transport data to and from aircraft in flight.
 
Rashed Al Ghafri, YahService general manager, said: "This agreement with Boeing is further evidence of Yahsat's commitment to forming strategic partnerships with the industry's leading organisations, allowing us to provide turnkey solutions for secure, reliable, cost-effective satellite communications solutions.
 
"Boeing's Ka-band phased-array satcom antenna system is the perfect partner for our satellites, which means that we will now be able to service our customers with state-of-the-art antennas for installation on aircraft platforms," Al Ghafri added.
 
Boeing's latest Ka-band phased array system uses electronically-controlled beams to transmit and receive signals from Ka-band satellites in a single, small, aerodynamic design.
 
The antennas are being designed in Kent, Washington, and will be produced at the Boeing Strategic Manufacturing Center in El Paso, Texas.
 

Yahsat's first satellite, Y1A, was successfully launched in April 2011. The company is preparing to launch its second satellite, Y1B, in April.