AOptix Awarded $11M in DARPA Contracts

Privately funded AOptix Technologies Inc. announced it received an $11.4 million contract to deliver wireless air and ground optical terminals for DARPA’s Free Space Optical Experimental Network Experiment program.

Under subcontract to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, the company will build and flight-validate its free space optical (FSO) terminals at up to 10 Gbps and 200 km on various aircraft and static ground stations.

The goal of the program is to field test high-bandwidth communication systems, by integrating FSO and radio frequency (RF) technology into a full mesh network. Designed to exploit the high capacity and long range of FSO, the hybrid systems relieve the congestion of RF networks and enable data transmission under extreme environmental conditions. The communication system will provide the capability to relay and downlink high volume ISR data traffic in real-time.

“This program will build on years of successful flight test programs where AOptix has delivered a number of firsts in bandwidth and distance for FSO communications,” said Dean Senner, president and CEO of AOptix. “We’re working very hard with our partners to deploy ultrahigh bandwidth solutions, bringing on-line, real-time, sensor data communications capabilities to enable warfighter operations.”

The wireless bi-directional optical terminals uses a patented, single aperture, adaptive optics method of beam control to compensate for real-time atmospheric turbulence, while still maintaining lock between two terminals.

AOptix develops FSO communications and iris biometrics based identification solutions for government and commercial markets.

For more information, visit: www.aoptix.com