For helicopter operators in today's world, connectivity is crucial -- especially when flying in remote areas above land, water or mountainous regions. Honeywell's newly certified Connected Helicopter solution, the Aspire® 200, brings high-speed Wi-Fi, video transmission, and voice and texting capabilities to helicopters around the world.

Honeywell is upgrading the Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Aspire 200 Satellite Communications System for commercial Sikorsky UH-60 and S70 Black Hawk helicopters. The new STC includes a high-gain antenna, Honeywell's latest Wi-Fi router, and the Scotty Communication Platform that compiles and compresses large data files and high-definition video, quickly and at competitive rate. This is especially useful for operators in the air ambulance, police, or search and rescue segments, who need to communicate in real-time video with their operations centers. Aspire 200, the smallest Inmarsat SwiftBroadband system, provides reliable, consistent and high-speed voice, data, internet and video connectivity. It is the only high-broadband solution that mitigates the impacts of rotor blades on the satellite signal, helping helicopter operators stay connected almost anywhere.

The Aspire 200 system is currently available for Airbus Helicopters AS350, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, Bell 429 and Leonardo AW139 helicopters. In addition, the Sikorsky S-92 and S-76, as well as Airbus Helicopters AS332 and AS365, are in the certification process.

Contributed by Honeywell