To design and build the free space optical terminals for the ORCA project; an adverse weather, jam resistant, high connectivity, high bandwidth network sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and under the contract administration of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Electronic Systems sector Selected a leading edge developer of ultra-high bandwidth laser communication solutions, AOptix Technologies, Inc., (http://www.aoptix.com ).

For development and testing in a broad range of air to air and air to ground applications, AOptix Technologies will provide, under the terms of the Agreement, their modified lasercom terminals.

To demonstrate a prototype of a tactical optical and RF network containing ground based and airborne nodes are the program objectives of the Northrop Grumman-led team. To provide a “leave behind” system for the end user is the ultimate goal of the DARPA program.

Ultra high bandwidth laser communications between two mountain tops in Hawaii simulating an air to air link was recently demonstrated by AOptix Technologies and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. For correcting atmospheric disturbances in a variety of conditions, AOptix curvature adaptive optics technology was essential.

President and CEO of AOptix, Dean Senner, commenteD: “We’re thrilled to be teamed with Northrop Grumman for ORCA. This is a huge opportunity to advance the state-of-the-art in wireless optical communications for military and intelligence applications”. “Our lasercom terminals will open up enormous bandwidth with data speeds that are orders of magnitude beyond the capability of systems currently in use.”