ThinKom Releases Variant of Aero Antenna for Special-Purpose Aircraft 

Low-profile ThinKom VICTS antenna with embedded control unit. Photo: ThinKom

ThinKom Solutions has developed a new variant of its VICTS aero satellite communication antenna that the company said will enable more flexible installation choices. ThinKom announced the product variant on Tuesday, which targets government and military Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) satellite communication markets. 

VICTS is ThinKom’s patented phased array technology and stands for variable inclination continuous transverse stub. The new variant integrates the VICTS antenna, antenna control unit and power-supply electronics into a single low-profile small-footprint package. The company said this eliminates the need for a separate line-replaceable unit for the antenna control unit/power supply. The antenna measures less than 9 cm in total height. 

Bill Milroy, chairman and CTO of ThinKom Solutions said this design represents the company’s strategy to become the preferred satellite antenna choice for smaller volume-limited and power-limited platforms. 

“In some cases, [the integrated antenna unit] will facilitate fully embedded installations, completely eliminating the external radome altogether. The absence of a visible radome uniquely enables highly reliable, high-bandwidth BLOS connectivity on sensitive and high-survivability special-mission aircraft and platforms. The system fully supports low-probability-of-detection and low-probability-of-intercept emissions characteristics,” Milroy commented.