ITT Exelis, Novasol To Develop Fast, Low Cost Laser Communication System

ITT Exelis and partner Innovative Technical Solutions (aka NOVASOL) have been awarded a $7 million contract to develop a laser communications system for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. As intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions grow in numbers, it is becoming pertinent for more data to be exchanged faster than before. Delivering ISR data to warfighters in record time could be critical to mission success. The latest laser communication system will allow data as much as three gigabytes per second to be transferred to decision makers without using total radio frequency transmissions. The team will complete development of a line-of-sight, high-bandwidth laser communications system that will be used for ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and ground-to-ground mission applications. “Today’s missions require moving huge amounts of data – more than three gigabytes per second – all in near real time,” said Gary Tarantino, manager of advanced systems and strategic initiatives for Exelis Electronic Systems. “Using laser communications gives our forces the information they need without competing with radio frequency transmissions – it’s like having your own traffic lane at rush hour”. “With technology developed by our companies in concert with the Office of Naval Research and the Naval Research Laboratory during the past eight years, moving high volumes of data with laser communications is now cost-effective and dependable,” said John Sender, vice president at NOVASOL. “Our systems will help ensure warfighters have the tactical and strategic edge in combat operations”. Exelis and NOVASOL have successfully field-demonstrated their laser capability, using both short- and long-range transmission, within a simulated Marine Corps network. The team has also participated in Navy exercises to improve the technology used to transmit and receive data over extended line-of-sight distances in diverse weather conditions. Under the contract, Exelis is leading systems engineering, product development and production, and NOVASOL is engaged in the design and development of laser communication technologies.