High-performance fiber-optic link for electronic countermeasure antenna remoting

The ability to remotely radiate microwave signals has become an essential f eature of modern electronic countermeasure (ECM) systems. The use of fiber optics allows remote microwave links to be constructed that have very low p ropagation loss and dispersion, are very flexible and light in weight, and have a high degree of immunity from external electromagnetic fields, cross talk, and environmental effects. This combination of desirable characterist ics is beneficial to avionic ECM antenna remoting as well as many other app lications. GEC-Marconi has developed high-performance fiber components for use in a towed radar decoy. The resulting rugged and compact optical transm itter and receiver modules have been proven to maintain the required perfor mance over the full hostile range of environmental conditions encountered o n a fast jet. Packaged fiber-optic links have been produced that can achiev e a compression dynamic range of > 87 dB in a 1-MHz bandwidth over a 2- to 18-GHz range.