Boeing, GoGo test satellite-linked military drone in challenge to Starlink

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 : Boeing's drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation Wi-Fi provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications, the companies said on Tuesday, underscoring growing efforts by governments and defense firms to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink.

Gogo Special Missions, the military and government arm of Gogo, and Insitu integrated a modified version of Gogo's Galileo HDX antenna onto Insitu's Integrator drone, a mid-sized uncrewed aircraft used by military customers for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Drone warfare has become central to military strategy following its widespread use in Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts across the Middle East. As militaries seek to operate drones at longer ranges, withstand jamming attacks and carry out increasingly complex missions, they are turning to satellite networks such as Starlink rather than relying on line-of-sight radio links.

Gogo and Insitu said their system would provide the Integrator drone with high-speed global internet through Eutelsat OneWeb's low-Earth-orbit satellite network and would not be subject to US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), easing exports to international customers.

"Adding an ITAR-free, high-speed SATCOM option is an essential capability for our global customers," John Kelly, Insitu's vice president of growth, said in a statement, adding that the technology would extend command-and-control range and allow faster transmission of sensor data from the battlefield.

Gogo and Insitu did not disclose a timeline for deploying the system.

Providing military users with Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's secure government-focused satellite communications service, has become an important source of revenue for Musk's company. But European governments and some in the Pentagon have voiced concerns about an over-reliance on Starlink, whose constellation of thousands of satellites dwarfs those of its rivals.