The US Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC) has granted T-1 certification to Gogo’s SD Government (SDG) division for its Roll-on/Roll-off (RO/RO) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) Tactical Removable Airborne Satellite Communications (TRASC) system for C-130 aircraft.
This approval allows C-130 operators to access multiple satellite communications (satcom) options, starting with a Gogo Plane Simple Ku-band terminal and expanding to include the Ka-band terminal and additional network compatibilities in the future.
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Electromagnetic interference and compatibility tests have been conducted on both the C-130J—Block 6 and Block 8 standards, as well as legacy C-130H models, confirming integration across the AMC fleet.
The T-1 Military Flight Release also enables sister commands and partner nations, such as Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, to immediately implement the new RO/RO capability.
SDG developed the TRASC BLOS solution in partnership with R4 Integration, an engineering firm specialising in airborne and ground systems.
The system uses a Gogo Plane Simple terminal housed within the Multi-Purpose Hatch System (MPHS), which R4 designed and patented to replace the standard forward escape hatch on the C-130.
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By GlobalDataThe housing is tailored for installation in under 30 minutes, allowing rapid deployment of global broadband connectivity from the aircraft.
The TRASC hatch matches the outer mould line of the original Lockheed L-382 design, making it compatible with all C-130 variants.
According to Gogo, the AMC certification will help reduce testing timelines and costs for other C-130 versions that require further evaluation.
Beyond use in AMC aircraft, the RO/RO TRASC system is positioned for application in Foreign Military Sales programmes, civilian cargo fleets, international C-130 units, and other US military branches including Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.
SDG executive vice president Hayden Olson said: “We are proud to deliver a platform that gives military forces much-needed situational awareness to support global command and control decisions.
“It also makes the C-130 much more resilient and consistently connected during training and operational missions. This capability instantaneously brings all C-130 variants into the modern age of high-throughput Beyond-Line-of-Sight communications.”
