Airborne 5G basestation trial planned for 2024
A team of UK companies led by Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) is to trial an airborne 5G basestation next summer.
SPL has been developing an uncrewed aircraft with a 56m wingspan that is powered by liquid hydrogen that can host an airborne 5G basestation. The drone is expected to be airborne for a week at a time, and the power requirements of the 5G basestation are a key limitation to the time in the air.
The trial will use a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft with Marshall Futureworx providing important cooling systems technology. SPL is pioneering the concept of using a High-Altitude Platform (HAP) with airborne antenna to provide widescale coverage of high performance 5G from the stratosphere.
The first phase of the contract will see SPLs 5G airborne phased array integrated to the Britten-Norman Islander for flight trials in July 2024. The turbine-powered BN2T-4S Islander variant has been selected for the programme due to its performance and payload capacity and the simplicity with which it can be modified to accommodate the equipment. The trial will be conducted under Britten-Norman’s Civil Aviation Authority test conditions.
Britten-Norman will operate the aircraft from its Solent Airport aircraft maintenance (MRO) facility, with the mission to be performed over the North Sea. The 5G phased array will be linked via a backhaul link to the Adastral Tower in Suffolk, England, from which the telecommunications and mission equipment will operate.
“This is a great opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of both Britten-Norman as an accomplished trials organisation and the Turbine Islander as a highly capable trials aircraft. Working closely with our partners, the project includes deliverables from our design, manufacture, MRO, continued airworthiness, flight test and flight operations teams,” said Garnet Ridgway, Flight Test Engineer at Britten-Norman.
The project requires a test platform that can be easily modified; the BN2T-4S Islander has a combination of payload capacity, endurance, climb performance, twin engine reliability, robustness and electrical power generation that makes it unbeatable for this mission.
“We are very pleased to have been selected by Stratospheric Platforms to assist in pioneering this innovation,” said Kevin Bean, Chief Technical Officer at Stratospheric Platforms.
“We are delighted to be working with Britten-Norman on this programme. The Islander is a great workhorse for this kind of engineering because it can be rapidly and extensively modified to accommodate our equipment. The role-based type of mission which can readily be executed by the Islander, combined with the stability of the platform, is ideal for a programme where telecommunication trials require predictable performance.”
“We’re delighted to be deepening our relationship with SPL, Cambridge-based technology leaders, through this project. It is easy to see why they are considered among the UK’s most promising innovators,” said Kieren Paterson, Managing Director of Marshall Futureworx.
“This is an exciting project to be part of, with so much potential to dramatically broaden and transform access to high-speed communication—while also providing global leadership in areas such as uncrewed aviation and zero emission flight.”
www.stratosphericplatforms.com/
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