Britten-Norman Islander completes flight trials for airborne 5G connectivity
A team of UK companies has successfully integrated an advanced airborne 5G connectivity system into a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, with a series of demonstration flights conducted from the OEM’s Solent Airport maintenance facility.
A turboprop BN2T-4S Islander – fitted with a large 5G phased array antenna – was chosen for its “robust design, all-weather capability, exceptional endurance and payload capacity,” explains Britten-Norman, which provided the design, integration and demonstration flights (the latter through its Flight Test Organisation).
The technology is being developed by a number of UK companies and is led by Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), with the intention of delivering high-altitude, long-endurance communication platforms to benefit remote and underserved regions. “Today’s flight test is an important step in the continuing validation of our technology breakthroughs,” commented Richard Deakin, CEO at Stratospheric Platforms Limited.
Key aspects of the flight test programme included “assessment of aircraft performance and handling qualities, covering both normal and emergency operation,” which will support full certification of the system. SPL added that the technology will offer numerous “valuable applications, such as quickly restoring networks after major disasters or tsunamis, where traditional mobile network infrastructure has been disrupted”.
The next step of the project will entail demonstrating the technology via a connection to a private UK-based national 5G telecommunications network.
