A new antenna technology hailed as the next generation of airborne communication for wide-bodied aircraft has been demonstrated in a US Air Force test flight.

The Raytheon built advanced multiband communication antenna system (AMCAS) is a low-profile antenna and extends about 8.5in on the aircraft skin to reduce drag.

This system simplifies installation and minimises time out of service compared to the existing antennas that require complex installations and extend farther from the aircraft’s fuselage.

During the tests, AMCAS communicated with Milstar satellite’s medium data rate waveform.

The instrument is being evaluated by the air force for use in conjunction with the family of advanced line-of-sight terminals.