Safran announces laser optical communications system

French company Safran Electronics & Defense is developing a new solution for transmitting and receiving optical communications by laser. This innovation will enable armed forces to share information at very high speed with no risk of jamming or interception, the company says, and is the result of its expertise in inertial navigation, optronics and communications.

Laser optical communication technology will be based on terminals that can transmit and receive optical communications, says Safran: one terminal to send data encoded in a laser beam, the other to receive it and convert it into digital information. Users will be able to share messages, pictures and video at ranges of tens of kilometers, or even further with the aid of relay satellites.

Laser optical links offer advantages over traditional radio communication, including discretion and resistance to interference. But also throughput, says Safran, with speeds of 5 Gb/s to 50 Gb/s, which is a major benefit as data volumes continue to increase and data-hungry AI becomes more widely deployed.

“We’re one of the only companies in the world today capable of developing this technology at scale for use by the armed forces,” says Alexandre Ziegler, Executive VP, Defense Gobal Business Unit of Safran Electronics & Defense. “We already have sovereign control over all the necessary technological components. And our teams have a deep understanding of military requirements and related technical issues on land, at sea, in the air and in space.”

Safran Electronics & Defense has addressed the challenge with an optical communication system of establishing a direct line of sight between two terminals, and then ensuring its stability during data transfer, regardless of conditions (for example, in heavy swell for naval applications). The company has drawn on its technological expertise in the development of mobile platform-mounted optronic sights and satellite communication solutions, it says.