Airbus has signed a partnership agreement with Dutch high-tech industrial supplier VDL Group for the development and manufacturing of a laser communication terminal for aircraft.
Known as UltraAir, it will enable the exchange of large amounts of data using laser beams in a network of ground stations and satellites in geostationary orbit 36,000km above the Earth.
Military aircraft and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will be able to connect within a multi-domain combat cloud thanks to laser-based satellite constellations such as Airbus’s SpaceDataHighway, Airbus said in a statement.
"In the longer term, UltraAir could also be implemented on commercial aircraft to allow airline passengers to establish high-speed data connections," the aircraft manufacturer said.
"Regarded as the solution for data traffic in the quantum age, laser communication technologies are the next revolution in satellite communications [satcom[."
Airbus and VDL Group will prepare a demonstration of a prototype and plan a first flight test in 2024.
Then, the prototype will be further industrialised to prepare it for integration with a hosting aircraft.
A flight test of this industrialised prototype on an aircraft is planned in 2025.
Laser communications will enable 10 to 100 times more data transmitted back to Earth than current radio frequency systems, according to Nasa.
It gave the example of transmitting a complete map of Mars back to Earth, which would take about nine weeks with current radio frequency systems, but with lasers would take about nine days.
Nasa started testing laser communications in 2021 when it launched its Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) into orbit, about 35,405km from Earth.
It began a two-year experiment period for LCRD in May.
Airbus outlined the benefits as data transmission rates that could reach several gigabits per second, while providing anti-jamming and low probability of interception due to a much narrower beam.
Laser communication can avoid interference and detection when compared with already crowded radio frequencies, and can be lighter and consume less power.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
