Northrop Grumman, DARPA test 100 gigabit transmissions

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have developed a wireless transmission data link that can transmit 100 gigabits per second over more than 12 miles in a urban area.

The two-way data-link which features active tacking was tested in Los Angeles last January, Northrop Grumman announced on Tuesday. The link's transmission speed can vary from 9g to 102g depending on what the receiving and transmitting network can handle.

The system operates at millimeter wave frequencies of up to 86 gigahertz. The high-speed transmission is capable of downloading a 50 gigabyte Blu Ray movie in under four seconds, according to Northrop Grumman.

"This dramatic improvement in data transmission performance could significantly increase the volume of airborne sensor data that can be gathered and reduce the time needed to exploit sensor data," Louis Christen, Northrop Grumman's director of research and technology, said in a press release.

"Next generation sensors such as hyperspectral imagers typically collect data faster, and in larger quantity than most air-to-ground data links can comfortably transmit. Without such a high data rate link data would need to be reviewed and analyzed after the aircraft lands," Christen said.

The new system would be able to send 100g speed data directly from the aircraft, allowing real-time access to intelligence and signals collection while the plane is still in the air. The system includes components developed in concert with Raytheon and Silvus Technologies.