Honeywell Unveils new Jetwave Satcom Solution for Military Customers

Technical improvements in the all-new JetWave MCX offering are designed specifically to meet the needs of defense and government aircraft operators

Honeywell’s industry-leading JetWave product family of broadband satcom solutions has a new offering specifically designed for military and governmental aircraft. Officially known as JetWave MCX, the solution expands on the success of earlier JetWave products and features technical improvements specifically intended for military customers around the world.

Since launching in 2017, Honeywell’s JetWave high-speed, in-flight Wi-Fi has provided commercial and business jet passengers with the ultimate in-flight productivity and entertainment experience. JetWave MCX will build upon these capabilities to provide improved situational awareness throughout an airborne mission, secure communications and the capability to connect to various Ka-band satcom networks depending on the needs of the mission.

“In the past, when the warfighter’s mission has required high-bandwidth connectivity, their choices were limited to proprietary hardware terminals that connect to a vendor-locked network,” said Steven Williams, vice president, Defense Americas, Honeywell Aerospace. “JetWave MCX provides operators with broadband, multi-network capability and resiliency that ensures the warfighter has high-speed connectivity available anytime around the globe.”

Honeywell’s JetWave MCX terminal is globally available and tailored to the heightened needs of the defense segment. It is specifically designed for military or government aircraft used for surveillance, combat or humanitarian missions like search and rescue operations.

JetWave MCX currently delivers critical technology to Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) advanced Airborne Mission Networking (AbMN) secure communications suite, designed to ensure critical mission data is always available to the warfighter — whether onboard or in a command center thousands of miles away. SNC has equipped Air Force Special Operations Command’s MC-130J Commando II aircraft with Honeywell’s JetWave MCX as part of the AbMN suite for ongoing system performance evaluation. The AbMN suite improves interoperability between special operations platforms as well as other U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine and coalition platforms.

“There are already more than 2,000 JetWave systems being used across business aviation, air transport and defense,” said John Peterson, vice president and general manager, Software and Services, Honeywell Aerospace. “With the release of JetWave MCX, we’ve built upon this success and further developed the technology to create a more customized solution that addresses the unique needs of military and defense customers.”

Honeywell’s satellite communications systems provide operators, passengers and crew with reliable, consistent connectivity throughout the world. They serve a range of needs, including in-flight connectivity for voice and data-streaming in the cockpit and the cabin, as well as fleet tracking and aircraft management.