Tactical optical systems for a network-centric environment

Several existing and potential future programs at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are developing novel and highly sophisticated sensors. In order to make the most of these capabilities, the Department of Defense is developing means of distributing the information efficiently and sharing it with users who must make timely decisions. The goal is for the sensors to operate within network-centric architectures, which require high data bandwidths, flexibility and robustness. This paper does not deal with the communications between sensors, but rather the sensor technologies that fit within that framework. In particular, it describes imaging systems that exploit significantly different technologies such as speckle imaging, synthetic aperture ladar, and super-resolution. Techniques such as synthetic apertures are migrating between disciplines and it is important for developers in one field to be able to communicate effectively with those in other fields. The paper attempts to address issues in both the RF and optical disciplines, describing both the commonalties and differences.