Honeywell, SES, and Hughes Demonstrate MEO to GEO Satellite Switching for Military Customers

SES’s GEO and MEO fleet. Render by SES / Business Wire

Honeywell, SES, and Hughes have demonstrated multi-network, multi-orbit high-speed airborne connectivity for military customers. The companies announced on Monday that airborne demonstrations used Honeywell’s JetWave MCX terminal with a Hughes HM-series modem, paired with SES satellites in Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). 

The tests demonstrated GEO/MEO dynamic link switching, with connections moving  between links in under 30 sec. The demonstrations showed the JetWave MCX terminal met military communication resilience requirements called PACE (primary alternate contingency and emergency). Additionally, SES’ MEO constellation provided both lower latency, with full duplex data rates of more than 40 megabits per second. The companies said these demonstrations ensure that warfighters have the data they need, when and wherever they need it. 

The JetWave MCX terminal is a dual-polarity, wideband Ka-band satellite terminal targeted for military and government aircraft for surveillance, defense, or humanitarian missions.

“The ability to give network choices to operators using our agnostic terminal means the customer can choose the best network for the mission and geographic region,” commented said Steven Williams, vice president of Defense Americas for Honeywell Aerospace.