Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple Ku-band tail-mount terminal is now available through Gulfstream for Gulfstream G650, G650ER, G500 and G600 production aircraft. The first G600 equipped with the tail-mount connectivity system has been delivered, and additional Gulfstream aircraft installations are already in progress.
The milestone builds on the rollout in the aftermarket sector of the SD Plane Simple Ku-band terminal, which entered commercial service in February 2023 and is now flying on more than 150 aircraft worldwide. The terminal is purpose-built to meet the specific needs of the business aviation sector. SD said the terminal’s value-adds include powerful cybersecurity options, agnostic design to enable third-party integration, and global 24/7/365 human customer support.
“Our antennas are designed to protect the owners’ investment by delivering reliable, genuinely global coverage and are future-proofed to adapt to the evolving connectivity landscape,” said Chris Moore, SD president. “Owners selecting the SD connectivity solutions can be confident that their multi-million-dollar asset is being delivered with the latest connectivity system that will not become obsolete within a few years. This represents another significant landmark in our Plane Simple journey as Gulfstream becomes the first OEM to include our state-of-the-art hardware as an option.”
The SD FlightDeck Freedom (FDF) flight deck communications platform, which operates on more than 3,000 airframes, is already the default datalink system for in-production Gulfstream G650, G650ER, G500 and G600 aircraft.