SEATTLE, November 7, 1996 -- Associated Air Center in Dallas, Texas, has installed a Boeing phased-array communication antenna on a private 757 business jet, which is an industry first. With the antenna system on board, the aircraft is able to receive live television as well as business data, including stock-market reports and financial news, from the EchoStar Communications Corp./DISH Network satellites, and also television broadcasts from the DIRECTV/USSB satellites. The Boeing high-performance, low-profile antenna is the first to automatically acquire and track two different satellite broadcast systems for the reception of both direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television and business data on a business jet.

The 1,500-element antenna, which measures 2 feet by 3 feet and is approximately 1-inch thick, makes possible high data-rate retrieval, as well as other high-bandwidth applications that have been unavailable on mobile platforms in the past. Unlike conventional, mechanically steered antennas that are bulky and slow to switch between satellites, the Boeing phased-array antenna steers beams electronically, permitting instantaneous connections between satellites and mobile platforms. Boeing initiated development of phased-array antennas in 1986, and since that time has conducted numerous experiments and tests.

Most recently, in June 1996, Boeing became the first company to successfully flight-test a prototype phased-array antenna. The tests, conducted on a Cessna 206-model aircraft, demonstrated the antenna system's ability to automatically acquire and track direct broadcast satellites, and display television on board the aircraft while in flight.

The antenna later was installed on "Speckled Trout," a Boeing C-135 U.S. Air Force avionics testbed aircraft, to support a series of Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID '96) exercises. The antenna system successfully was used to receive satellite-transmitted television, military Global Broadcast System (GBS) video and other data.

Installation of the Boeing antenna on the business jet is another step in the operational evaluation of phased-array technology. Boeing currently is collecting inflight data during the aircraft's normal day-to-day operations.