100 Gb/s RF Backbone
Abstract
The proliferation of video, voice, chat, and other important data-streams on the battlefield is driving a need for higher capacity, reliable, assured, and all-weather communications that are deployable on a wide range of air, ground, and maritime platforms. The goal of this High-Capacity Links technologies program is to demonstrate a 100 Gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) radio frequency (RF) backbone that will meet the anticipated mid-term (within 3-10 years) wireless networking requirements of deployed military forces. DARPA's hybrid Free Space Optical RF Communications Adjunct (ORCA) system has broken the 10 Gb/s wireless network boundary using free-space optical links, but all-weather Ku band components are currently limited to much less than 1Gb/s capacity. Furthermore, the hybrid optical/RF system exhibits size, weight, and power (SWaP) consumption characteristics that preclude deployment on many SWaP-limited platforms. Moving to a millimeter-wave (mmW) solution will provide high capacity and all-weather resiliency, but presents technical challenges that include the generation of higher-order waveforms (beyond common data link), efficient power transmission, high-speed routing, and low-noise receivers. This program seeks to develop the constituent subsystems (waveform generation, efficient power amplifiers, and receivers) and spatial multiplexing architectures to construct an all-weather mmW 100 Gb/s backbone at half the SWaP consumption of the current ORCA system. The 100 Gb/s RF Backbone program is intended for transition to multiple Services.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2018
- Source ID
- 29b5f1b60a1f681036c8a7b13035259c