Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - 15

Lasers and Optics
establishing situational awareness in
the battlespace and managing ultrahigh
data rates in the networked battlefield.
On-platform systems include the
ability to create, distribute, and digest
data running between sensors, radars,
storage, and processor configurations.
The signal paths between these elements
need to operate with extremely
high demands for speed and integrity,
then be transmitted off the platform to
facilitate real-time decision making.
Metallic interconnect in this realm is
self-limiting due to the physical limitations
of wires and pitch.
Satellite
* Advanced Global Positioning
Systems
* Transmit/receive modules
Manned & Unmanned
Airborne Assets
* On-board secure wireless
networking
* Tactical radios
Ground Vehicles
Photonics Offer an Alternative for
Next-Generation Military Platforms.
Imagine a next-generation, semi -
autonomous UAV platform with a flat
hyperspectral imaging sensor and a
suite of other surveillance devices, all
interlinked using silicon photonic
processors that generate light beams encoded
with harvested imagery. The
processors are attached to flex and rigid
printed circuits containing planar polymer
waveguides to carry the light signal
toward optical storage units. A modulator
encodes the sensor data. On-demand,
a ground-based laser is aimed at
a corner-cube mirror mounted on the
UAV and retrieves the data in real-time
from that element.
The power required for the UAV is
minimal because the ground-based
* Millimeter wave phased
array antennas
* Location and condition
sensors
* Advance radar systems
Dismounted Soldier
* Manpackable SATCOM
receivers
* Body-worn connectivity
* Augmented reality displays
A high-level illustration of elements in the connected battlespace.
laser is supplying much of the energy.
The mirror is very small and light, employing
micro-electro-mechanical systems
(MEMS) in conjunction with the
processors along the signal path. The
photonic system's weight can be measured
in grams, reducing the overall
platform weight and allowing the UAV
to gain economies in loitering time,
scope of intelligence gathering, and
fuel costs.
That example, along with the promise
of carbon nanotube technology and
an ever-shrinking electronic package,
models where the next military systems
are going. Developing a complete manufacturing
infrastructure beyond metallic
interconnect won't happen over -
night. But with the right investment,
these technologies usher in the ability
to facilitate a new era of strategic and
tactical advantages in the Connected
Battlespace unlike any the world has
seen before.
This article was written by Steve DeWaters,
Application Development Manager, Benchmark
(Tempe, AZ) For more information, visit
http://info.hotims.com/79414-501.
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Aerospace & Defense Technology, June 2021
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* Super computing to support
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* Advanced encryption and
routing
* Ground-based satellite
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