Iridium Provides Satellite Communications for New York Air National Guard in Support of Antarctic Missions

The New York Air National Guard (NYANG) is relying on the Iridium satellite network for voice and data communications with its aircraft supporting the National Science Foundation (NSF) Operation Deep Freeze research projects in Antarctica.

The NYANG has installed Iridium handsets on its fleet of ski-equipped C130 aircraft. This will help to ensure reliable communications when flying missions in Antarctica. Calls are connected through to crew members’ headsets, leaving their hands free for operational requirements.

The NYANG flies 560 missions per year to provide personnel, food and supplies for the NSF scientists involved in the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). “The aircraft operate in one of the world’s most difficult and dangerous environments, with extremes of wind and cold, creating special communications challenges,” said Major William Smith, Deputy Antarctic Operations Chief, NYANG. “The frequent solar flares cause magnetic disturbances in the ionosphere, severely degrading HF radio communications. This means Iridium is often the only reliable communication link, providing an important margin of safety for the aircraft when flying in this region.”

The portability of the systems is also a plus. When weather conditions cause us to shut down flight operations, we can easily remove the Iridium phones from the aircraft and use them for communications in the base camp,” Smith added.

The NYANG is also looking at implementing Iridium-based flight following applications, as well as using the satellite systems to receive regular and automatic Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) weather reports and warnings. This would improve the efficiency of timing safe flights in and out of base camps, and improve the NYANG’s ability to solicit, review, record and report weather conditions.

“Being able to tap the Iridium data communications service will expedite our ability to automate a manual and less efficient data-gathering process,” said Smith.

The USAP’s scientific goals are to understand the Antarctic and its associated ecosystems, to understand the region’s effects on and responses to global processes such as climate change, and to use Antarctica’s unique features to conduct scientific research that cannot be done as well elsewhere. The USAP facilities include the McMurdo Antarctic Research Station, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and Palmer Station, as well as two research vessels and a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The NSF scientists on the ground at the South Pole Station are also using a multi-channel Iridium system to send and receive e-mails.

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