Amazon.com Inc. today debuted a ruggedized antenna that will enable commercial aircraft to access its internet satellites.

The Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna can download up to 1 gigabit of data per second and upload 400 megabits. According to the company, those speeds make the device the fastest customer terminal currently in production.

The Leo Aviation Antenna’s debut comes a few days after Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy revealed that the company has launched more than 200 internet satellites to date. They’re part of a low-Earth orbit constellation called Amazon Leo that is set to come online in mid-2026. Further down the line, the company plans to launch thousands of additional satellites that will help boost coverage. 

Amazon’s new aircraft antenna shares certain components with Leo Ultra, a roof-mounted terminal that offers the same maximum speeds. The company stated at the time of the latter device’s debut that it’s powered by a custom chip. Additionally, both the Leo Ultra and the Leo Aviation Antenna are based on a full-duplex phased array design.

Phased array antennas don’t broadcast signals in all directions but rather focus them on a specific target. That helps improve signal strength, which in turn boosts connection speeds and reduces interference. The quality increase is made possible by a phenomenon known as constructive interference. 

A phased array antenna comprises up to hundreds of data transmission modules. Those modules produce radio waves that constructively interfere, or collide, with one another to form a single wave. Slight differences in the timing which the modules generate signals focus the combined wave in a specific direction. That approach makes it possible to steer radio beams without incorporating moving parts into the antenna design.

The Leo Aviation Antenna is a full-duplex device, which means that it can transmit and receive data at the same time. A built-in modem translates the satellite signals picked up by the antenna into digital data that the computers inside an airliner can understand.

The device’s modem and other components are housed in a flat chassis designed to withstand harsh weather. It’s 58 inches long, 30 inches wide and just 2.6 inches high, a design detail intended to minimize drag. Reducing drag, an aerodynamic force that slows down aircraft, lowers fuel consumption. Airlines can attach the antenna to the exterior of their planes using specialized connectors.

“Amazon Leo can connect a full plane of passengers and crew with speeds that handle any activity seamlessly, whether passengers want to game, watch a movie, listen to music, or collaborate with colleagues on a project,” said Trevor Vieweg, the director of global business for Amazon Leo.

Several airlines have already signed up to use the internet constellation. One of them is Delta Airlines Inc., which plans to bring Leo connectivity to 500 of its planes in 2028.

Image: Amazon