First ACJ's equipped with Gogo Galileo HDX satellite connectivity system
Airbus Corporate Jets' (ACJ) global connectivity solution – ACJ Connect Link – has become a reality with the first customer aircraft – three ACJ319s – now fitted with the Gogo Galileo HDX satellite connectivity system, with more customer installations to follow later this year. This milestone follows EASA’s STC approval in March, which enables Gogo Galileo’s Half-Duplex (HDX) terminals to be installed on Airbus’ ACJ319 and ACJ320 aircraft*.
Prior to this, in February, a comprehensive MoU agreement between Airbus and Gogo was announced, which included the selection of the Gogo Galileo HDX and FDX terminals to support high-speed connectivity. This comprises two Gogo line-replaceable units, LRUs – the electronically steered antenna ESA and the AVANCE SCS platform – for Airbus’ ACJ Connect Link customers.
Chadi Saade, President of Airbus Corporate Jets said:
"We are very pleased to reveal these first installations of the Gogo Galileo HDX satellite connectivity system on our ACJ aircraft. By working in partnership with our customers and our industry partners, we are bringing state-of-the-art technology onboard our ACJ aircraft – offering a new level in passenger experience and inflight connectivity."
Chris Moore, Gogo chief executive officer said: “With Gogo Galileo HDX supporting Airbus Connect Link on ACJ319 aircraft, customers benefit from access to a seamless, future-ready connectivity solution that ensures connectivity performance worldwide.”
He adds: “The ability to customize the service to deliver specified bandwidth to principals, entourage, or crew optimizes the system’s versatility to enhance productivity, entertainment, and communication at altitude. We are proud that Airbus has selected Gogo Galileo to support the Airbus vision of tailored cabin experiences.”
The Ku-band antenna, which uses electronically steerable phased array technology (ESA), is more compact than existing Ka-band antennae and fits into a smaller, flatter radome. This helps to minimise the aircraft’s overall weight and drag while simultaneously delivering uninterrupted connectivity that enables multiple applications, including video conferencing, streaming, and data-hungry apps, across multiple passenger devices.
ACJ aircraft equipped with Gogo Galileo’s HDX system will benefit from Eutelsat OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of more than 640 satellites. Compared with typical ‘Geostationary Orbit’ (GEO) based satellite networks, this LEO-based network, whose satellites orbit much closer to the earth, would offer higher speed and lower latency, combined with global coverage, even at the poles.
The overall objective of Connect Link is to deliver a dedicated connectivity solution tailored to ACJ customers' specific needs. To this end ACJ offers a higher-bandwidth evolution (up to 195 Mbps download speed capability) Gogo Galileo Full Duplex (FDX) terminal, with a corresponding STC now in development with first customer installations targeted for Q1 2026.
* Undisclosed customers