Duncan Aviation, in partnership with Gogo Business Aviation, is actively developing several additional 5G STCs for the Gogo 5G system and provisioning multiple models of popular business aircraft.

“The Duncan Aviation partnership on the active development of a comprehensive 5G STC portfolio is leading the industry as we prepare to launch 5G service later this year,” says Dave Salvador, vice president of the aftermarket channel for Gogo. “There is great anticipation in the market for 5G and the enhanced inflight connectivity experience it will deliver, and these STCs are a critical component.”

The STCs Duncan has actively in development for Gogo 5G will cover the following in-service aircraft: Bombardier Global Express, 5000, XRS, 5500, 6000, 6500; Challenger 650, 605, 604; Challenger 300, 350; Gulfstream GIV, G300, G400; Gulfstream GIV-X, G350, G450; and the Citation 560XL, XLS and XLS+. Additional aircraft models will be added to the programme as first-article aircraft are identified.

“We are excited to support business operators in their quest for continually improving their connectivity in flight,” says Nate Klenke, Duncan Aviation's completions and modifications sales manager in Lincoln. “As an industry leader in the installation and certification of connectivity solutions and a longtime partner with Gogo, we are committed to developing solutions that allow customers to take full advantage of Gogo's upgraded 5G network.”

Operators who have an Avance L5 installed have the foundation required for an upgrade to Gogo 5G, and Gogo is offering significant savings of up to $100,000 in rebates through the company's First To Fly promotion. Aircraft will receive 5G provisions and operate on Gogo's 4G network until the X3 (5G) LRU is available for installation.

Gogo 5G has been designed to deliver high throughput with very low latency to address the increased demand in data-heavy services and applications in use today, such as video conferencing and social media, as well as emerging technologies in the future. The 5G chip passed a critical design review earlier this year, and Gogo remains on track to launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Duncan Aviation STCs have been used for more than 265 installations of the Avance L5 system. Once the 5G STCs are complete, Duncan Aviation will perform the installations at its full-service facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska and Provo, Utah, and many of the company's more than 26 satellite locations.