Chicago (IL) – AOptix Technologies has successfully tested an ultra-high bandwidth air-to-ground laser communications system. The system, developed for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is capable of providing uninterrupted coverage over 15,000 square kilometers.
During the test, a single bi-directional, 3 Gbps multi-channel data link transmitted simultaneous uncompressed high-definition (HD) video and audio. AOptix has also demonstrated air to ground ultra-high bandwidth communications at distances greater than 70 kilometers and at heights exceeding 10,000 feet.
“This new capability will enable the persistent downlinking of ultra-high bandwidth ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) information from various manned and un-manned airborne platforms,” explained AOptix CEO Dean Senner.
According to Senner, the AOptix wireless optical terminals utilizes a unique bi-directional, adaptive optics method of beam control to compensate for real-time atmospheric turbulence while maintaining a lock between two terminals. Video, voice and data are then transmitted over a single, low power, optical laser link.
AOptix Technologies has also developed a commercial lasercom that helps eliminate bandwith bottlenecks during the wireless transmission of high-definition video on remote location shoots. According to AOptix, the commercial lasercom offers significant benefits over RF links for ultra-high bandwidth point-to-point applications – with transmissions achieving a rate of 10 Gbps at distances of 5 kilometers.
