Lockheed Martin division to lead $15m development of prototype
hybrid/optical network for DARPA
Lockheed
Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) of Akron, Ohio announced
that under a DARPA-funded contract named ORCLE (Optical and Radio
frequency Combined Link Experiment), with an initial value of $15
million, the company had been selected by the USAF Research
Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio as prime contractor and leader of a team
that includes ITT, L3Com, BAE Systems, Adaptive Optics Associates,
Accipiter Systems, EMS and Dayton Aerospace, to develop and
demonstrate a prototype network combining the speed of laser-based
communications with the dependability of RF communications, to
support the information- sharing needs of military commanders.
The Lockheed Martin announcement added that the contract calls for a
range test in approximately 18 months and includes an option for a
flight test after 30 months.
John Wojnar, director of advanced programs business development at
Lockheed Martin MS2, was quoted as saying, "The ORCLE network is
designed to recognise changing demands on the network and to react
and recover on the fly to keep data flowing".
Wojnar added, "Lessons learned during recent operations point out
that current communications networks rapidly become overloaded as
great amounts of data are made available. It's crucial for the
warfighter to have on-demand access to that data to get the right
information at the right time".
- Optical Networks Daily
