Tactical Optical Inertial Reference Unit (OIRU)

SA Photonics is pleased to propose our FALCON Tactical Optical Inertial Reference Unit (OIRU) for use on aircraft-based, tactical, high-energy laser (HEL) systems. The harsh vibrational environment inherent to aircraft poses a significant challenge to beam stabilization of aircraft-hosted laser systems. The inertially stabilized Optical Reference Beam (ORB) provided by an OIRU serves as a"virtual star"and is a key element in the jitter control system of aircraft-hosted optical systems. The low-frequency band of the IMU signals used to stabilize the ORB can also serve as an angle reference during target acquisition slews. Present state-of-the-art OIRUs are too large for tactical use, and are susceptible to linear vibrations. The FALCON OIRU, based on SA Photonics fiber optic gyro (FOG) technology, addresses the size and vibration issues of the aircraft-hosted tactical HEL application. The FALCON OIRU can be packaged in a 3 inch cube to be mounted on the primary mirror of the HEL system, and provides high sensitivity and low errors required for dual use as a jitter control virtual star and as a low-frequency IMU angle reference. BENEFIT: The anticipated benefits to the Air Force offered by the proposed FALCON Optical Inertial Reference Unit (OIRU) are the capabilities for an inertially stabilized Optical Reference Beam (ORB) for jitter control of aircraft-hosted tactical high-energy laser (HEL) systems, and the availability of IMU outputs from the OIRU for steering the HEL beam director open-loop over large angles. The surging growth in the use of lasercom, LADAR/LIDAR, and high-resolution cameras on aircraft and ground units in the military and commercial sectors creates a significant market for a small optical inertial reference unit such as the FALCON. SA Photonics has been very successful in transitioning SBIR technology to commercial product sales, in part due to its strong history of working with its customers and prime contractors. We will leverage our existing relationships with these companies to transition the FALCON OIRU into military and commercial markets.