New Applications & Recent Research

Hughes Aircraft Company is developing a fiber optics communications system for the US Army that will enable a safely concealed gunner to remotely direct a guided missile to a battlefield target. Hughes and its principal subcontractor, ITT Electro-Optical Products Division, are working on techniques to enable communication between an airborne missile and a gunner at the launch site via a fine fiber-optic thread. Program officials say the system has the potential to provide the basis for a lowcost lock-on-after-launch anti-armor missile with extended range and immunity to enemy countermeasures.