Modular, Scalable, Multi-Gigabit Optical Networking Integration Platform Seamlessly Interconnecting Future Combat Systems Network Grids

The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is designated as a networked system of systems, and will serve as the core building block within all objective force maneuver units of action to enhance war-fighting capabilities. The Optical NetworkingIntegration Platform (ONIP) to be developed under this program is a generic, scalable networking device that accepts inputs from wired, wireless or free-space and fiber based communications networks. The ONIP is protocol agnostic, interconnecting legacyand future generation networks on a peer-to-peer basis, or through third party industry standard protocol translators, facilitating the interconnection of networks with dissimilar protocols. The ONIP is data-rate insensitive, accommodating terminals ornetworking devices that operate in ranges from tens of kilobits to tens of gigabits, all within the same box. On the low-data-rate side, typically wireless or wired networks would connect systems that operate from 16 Kbs to 100 Mbs and are opticallymultiplexed for transfer to another network node. At the high-data-rate side, free-space or fiber optical trunks or wide band wireless trunks will connect at data rates to 10 Gbs or higher. A family of ONIPs will be developed that will differ by thenumber of ports that will be required to accommodate typical applications. The channel assignments of the holographic based DWDM and add-drop modules will have a standard set of several hundred selectable optical channels that will be software selectedand dynamically managed. The ONIP units will be networked through optical and/or wideband RF links and will operate in a fail-safe mode that allows accessing trunking on optical or RF basis as determined by the transmission facilities available.Commercial application of the ONIP will be in free space optical communications in urban areas, cellular applications connecting RF base stations to switching centers through gigabit data rate optical or free space links, clear channel optical LAN andMetro distribution networks, satellite to satellite optical communications and onboard satellite optical switching nodes for RF and optical links.