Insitu and Gogo Test Satellite Communications System for Military Drones

Boeing's drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation Wi-Fi provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications. The companies integrated a modified version of Gogo's Galileo HDX antenna onto Insitu's Integrator drone, which is used by military customers for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The test underscores growing efforts by governments and defense firms to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink. As militaries seek to operate drones at longer ranges, withstand jamming attacks, and carry out increasingly complex missions, they are turning to satellite networks like Starlink or Eutelsat OneWeb's low-Earth-orbit network.

Gogo and Insitu said their system would provide the Integrator drone with high-speed global internet through Eutelsat OneWeb's low-Earth-orbit satellite network. The technology would extend command-and-control range and allow faster transmission of sensor data from the battlefield, according to John Kelly, Insitu's vice president of growth.

The integration of this system aims to provide military users with an alternative to Starlink, which has become a source of revenue for Musk's company but has also raised concerns about over-reliance among European governments and some in the Pentagon.