EMS Technologies is developing new hardware to provide business jet passengers with access to high speed data transmissions and live, satellite-delivered television feeds. EMS was formed by the recent merger of Canada's Cal Corporation, the Satellite Products Division of Spar Aerospace, and various EMS units in Atlanta.

Garrett Aviation in Van Nuys, CA recently installed EMS' first DBA-1150 antenna on a Gulfstream III. The antenna enables passengers to make voice and/or data calls via SATCOM while simultaneously receiving satellite TV broadcasts. Similar systems are being installed by Garrett on a Gulfstream IV and Bombardier Challenger.

In a joint marketing agreement with Norton Performance Plastics, EMS Technologies has developed the Total Tail Solution (TTS) for Bombardier Global Express and CL-600, 601 and 604 aircraft. Installation includes EMS' AMT-50 SATCOM and DBA-1150 antennae required for voice and data communication and satellite TV reception.

EMS has also announced a partnership with Gulfstream Aerospace to provide radomes for GIV-SP aircraft as factory standard options. Constructed from lightweight, composite materials and located atop the Gulfstream's tail, the radomes can house a SATCOM antenna as well as a Direct TV antenna.

Dr. Thomas Sharon, EMS' President and CEO, says the advancements are in response to an increasing demand for "reliable, high speed communications" by business aircraft operators. The challenge, according to Sharon, is developing antennae capable of communicating in such an unusual operating environment. Adequate satellite coverage is also an issue, since current satellites are designed for communications over populated land masses.

Late next year, EMS expects to offer high-speed airborne internet access in collaboration with British Telecom and Excite, the Internet portal. The 64 kbs service will enable passengers to access e-mail, company intranets and internet service providers.

Satellite television systems such as Direct TV and Echostar may also provide data transmission solutions as they increase their capacity. Sharon expects future direct broadcast satellite channels to be dedicated to data transmission and thus ideally suited to airborne use.

Sharon says EMS is in a unique position to satisfy the demand for SATCOM technology aboard business aircraft as a result of the company's "strong heritage" of creating space qualified hardware, along with its "strength in developing antenna technology."

In the next two to three years, Sharon envisions "wireless cabins" in which voice, video and data transmissions, once downloaded to the aircraft, will be sent throughout the cabin via wireless technology. Sharon says EMS has already installed similar systems on the ground, and that the technology will save operators weight and simplify installation and upgrade of equipment.