[Avionics Today 07-26-2016] The Cobham Satcom Aviator 300D system has received a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Validation of Supplemental Type Certificate (VSTC) for installation aboard the Airbus A320 series. According to Cobham, this represents the first time a SwiftBroadband Aircraft Communication and Addressing Reporting System (ACARS)-capable modem has received Chinese certification.
The Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) enables Chinese airlines and Chinese-registered aircraft to order and install the Cobham solution on the Airbus aircraft A319, A320 and A321 to benefit from improved communications, connectivity, flight safety and operations on-board.
The Aviator 300D enables cockpit connectivity for ACARS over SwiftBroadband on the Airbus aircraft. It uses Inmarsat SwiftBroadband IP data and circuit-switched voice capabilities to provide services, such as aircraft flight tracking information, and Ethernet ports for connecting devices such as Aircraft Interface Devices (AIDs) and Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) for the pilots to obtain real-time information, including graphical weather updates. Aviator 300D also has the bandwidth to send the real-time data of the aircraft health monitoring systems, such as engine monitoring.