Astronautics Corporation of America is providing Airbus a new version (V3) of its wireless Airborne Communication System (wACS), or AeroSync Max, for their H225/M helicopters.

The Astronautics AeroSync Max/wACS is a flexible, dual-partitioned avionics communication platform providing the gateway to enable secure communication between the open world and avionics systems, giving immediate and automatic access to daily data.

The H225/M civil and military programs are driving the evolution of the AeroSync Max/wACS’ cross-domain secure gateway with the addition of 5G cellular with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

“Astronautics is proud to support Airbus’ ever-evolving connectivity needs with our state-of-the-art airborne communication system for their new H225/M helicopters, and by so doing, also contribute to important missions around the world ranging from homeland security to search & rescue that depend on real-time, secure data,” said Robert Atac, Astronautics’ president.

The AeroSync Max/wACS for the H225/M provides a connectivity solution with both mission and military enhancements. Highlights of these include smart routing, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), parallel Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and secure gateway capabilities.

- Smart routing enables the uploading and downloading of in-flight data from the helicopter to the ground by automatically selecting the best channel for optimized data transmission based on selectable criteria and from the available communication options (Wi-Fi, 5G cellular, or SATCOM).

- VoIP allows the pilots or crew to initiate calls using the intercom system and the dialer control panel. There will also be call alerting for incoming calls and voice call status.

- Parallel VPNs ensure safer and more private online activity by encrypting data and masking IP addresses by connecting to two separate VPN servers simultaneously—essentially routing internet traffic through two different encryption tunnels at once to provide an extra layer of security and privacy.

- Secure gateway capabilities support specific mission and cross-domain data transfer use cases requiring a high-level of data security with compliance to the latest aviation cybersecurity regulations (e.g., EASA ED-203A, FAA DO-326).

Astronautics’ previous version of its AeroSync Max/wACS is line-fit on Airbus’ H145 and H160 helicopters. These helicopter platforms are expected to phase in a line-fit transition to the newest version (V3) of AeroSync Max/wACS.

The Airbus H225/M is a long-range, all-weather helicopter and the latest member of Airbus Helicopters’ Super Puma family. Its missions range from aerial work to special forces transport, to firefighting and disaster relief, to law enforcement, homeland security, and search & rescue.