Gogo plans to offer upgraded 2Ku service later this year that will take advantage of greater capacity on Intelsat’s new Epic series geostationary satellites.

The exercise was conducted by Aurora Flight Sciences under DARPA’s ALIAS (Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System) program to develop a drop-in kit that adds high-level automation to existing aircraft.

New-generation aircraft promise to provide a wealth of information helpful for MRO, but data analysis and ownership issues remain.

According to the Aircraft Electronics Association's year-end market report, total worldwide business and general aviation electronics sales for 2016 amounted to some $2.2 billion, which was down 6.4% from 2015 figures.

Chicago-based aviation broadband specialist Gogo believes the challenge of inflight connectivity bandwidth has now been overcome, leaving monetization as the final hurdle.

Jetliner manufacturers believe there’s merit in minimalism. They’re wary of distractions that could impede or derail pilot performance in high-stress situations. They’re also loathe to bury control of systems in multiple layers of submenus.

Thales Alenia Space sees overcapacity as a factor in the weak telecommunications satellite market, in addition to fast-moving technology and a slow global launch rate.

Today’s instruments enable pilots to better visualize their environment, but can also suffer subtle failures and lure the unprepared into hazardous situations.