Advances in radar processing technology have greatly increased the need for ultra wideband data links from the transmit/receive arrays to the processing centers. RF cabling is expensive, bulky and heavy for data distribution. The size and cost of the transceivers is also an issue for increased capability. Leveraging developments from the optical telecommunications market can provide orders of magnitude increase in capabilities for these desired data transfer requirements with simpler data interconnects and less supporting electronics. Essex Corporation has developed a revolutionary technology, called Hyperfine, for the fiber-optics telecommunications industry that channelizes ultra wideband signals up to 4,000 GHz in bandwidth. This technology can provide the capability to distribute data in a radar network leveraging cost effective, compact and passive technology. This data distribution technique will allow increased data capacity with less hardware and will also have substantial room for future growth. Essex plans to study the requirements for Missile Defense Agency (MDA) radar distribution needs, present architectures based on commercial hardware, and model the network for the desired performance. Essex currently has a variety of laboratory prototype units that could also be used to measure or demonstrate this conversion technique during Phase II.
