Military Applications of Fiber Optics Technology

This Note presents an overview of fiber optics technology and potential military applications of that technology. It puts into historical perspective the birth and exponential growth of fiber optics into a commercial success that has virtually replaced other means of long-distance telecommunications. It discusses general advantages and disadvantages in the use of fiber optics, setting a backdrop from which applications of the technology to military systems can be presented. This work was funded by RAND-sponsored research. This Note considers several categories of developmental and proposed military systems that use some facet of fiber optics technology however, it makes no attempt to analyze these systems in terms of technical feasibility, cost, or military utility. This work is presented to provide the reader with an appreciation of the technologys potential to alter dramatically certain aspects of military operations in the very near future. The appendix to this Note contains a basic tutorial on some of the principles of fiber optic information transfer. It may be of interest as technical background information. Keywords Fiber optics, Physics, Glass fibers, Telecommunications, Optical fibers, Sensor systems, Information transmission, Optoelectronic devices.