Cobham SATCOM Antenna selected for Virgin's 747 upgrade
Sean Swain, General Manager, Supply Chain for Virgin Atlantic, said: "Virgin Atlantic's selection of the Cobham Antenna system is as a result of a rigorous and thorough selection process. The combination of technical excellence, coupled with a good commercial position, has secured the ongoing partnership between Virgin Atlantic and Cobham Antenna Systems and secured the best overall solution for our Boeing 747 cabin upgrade."
Cobham’s antenna sub-system will be retrofitted to the fleet of seven Boeing 747-400 aircraft (above) through an independent Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).
Fred Cahill, Vice President of Cobham Antenna Systems, said: “We are delighted to announce the selection of the Cobham antenna hardware for the Virgin Atlantic retrofit opportunity. This is a great first step in making our technology available to the in-service aircraft market.”
Other STCs are in progress to certify the Cobham antenna sub-system for retrofit on a range of aircraft platforms.
Cobham SATCOM equipment has been certified for forward fit new production aircraft
on Airbus and Boeing platforms: 737, 747, 777, A320 family, and A330/A340. A400M
and A380 certification is expected to be completed later this year. Cobham has also been selected for installation aboard the 787 and A350. Cobham’s HGA-7001
SATCOM antenna sub-system has been selected by over 20 airlines.