Laser comms for network relay demonstrated at U.S. Navy facility by General Atomics
NewsDecember 02, 2022
SAN DIEGO, California. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GS-ASI) recently demonstrated a network relay using laser communications at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina, the company announced in a statement.
The event involved a "fully-networked demonstration using multiple Laser Communication terminals," including ground, mobile, and airborne terminals, the statement reads.
"During the demonstration, a live video and audio feed of operators at each terminal was shared in the networked communication display," it adds. "Lasercomm is in demand for military applications because of its inherent Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) and anti-jam characteristics, and its ability to support much higher data rates (greater than 1 Gigabit per second) than traditional Radio Frequency (RF) systems."
GA-ASI funded the test in an attempt to highlight using laser communications for extended multi-point networking communications, the company said, noting that laser communications could be useful for uncrewed systems "to perform secure multi-domain communications to airborne, maritime, and ground users, as well as with future satellites."
