RF Photonics for Avionics Signal Processing

The maturity of RF photonic components has reached the point where fiber optic links are being system-tested to replace traditional copper coax links on avionic platforms. Many demonstrations of RF photonic links have been made with traditional and non-traditional modulation formats to improve the RF performance of the link. While the advantages of RF photonic links in regard to size and weight are important, the large instantaneous bandwidth of the fiber optic links is a key driver for the use of this technology in the airframe.