How increasing system complexity is driving RF-over-Fiber adoption in aerospace and defense

The aerospace and defense sector is constantly evolving and with that evolution, the need for secure, high-performing and lightweight connectivity has never been more critical. RF-over-Fiber has particularly seen an increase in use, over long distances and in EMI-prone environments that need to be bridged by RF signals, as these areas are generally unsuitable for conventional coaxial links. As applied frequencies are increasing to accommodate greater data loads, the limitations of coaxial links become even more accentuated, making RFoF an indispensable technology for contemporary and future-proof connectivity.

• Lightweight: RFoF exceeds coaxial link performance in the context of long-distance links: over 100 km without amplification. The lighter weight due to use of fiberoptics and the option to multiplex tens of channels into a single fiber, results in a very high figure of merit for data rate per unit weight. 
• Superior reliability: RFoF is intrinsically immune to EMI & RFI, EMP and notoriously difficult to intercept (“tap”).
• Unparalleled electrical performance: The combination of low NF, gain flatness and SFDR makes this product family unique in the market.
• Diverse product family: HUBER+SUHNER RFoF solutions are available for frequencies from 20 MHz to 40 GHz, with specialized units for wide bandwidth, low phase noise, high linearity, GNSS-over-fiber, and power-over-fiber-fed GNSSoF.
• Rugged design: Our compact and durable converter modules come in various embodiments, e.g. chassis-, panel and DIN mountable units or as customized form factors. We guarantee functionality across the extremes of aerospace operating environments including high shock and vibration resistance.
• Connectivity solutions: We regularly combine our products into connectivity network architectures, tuned to precisely meet the specificities of our customers.

With a proven track record in harsh environment applications, HUBER+SUHNER is a trusted partner, backed by extensive engineering and testing resources. We take pride in our extensive heritage providing rugged connectivity to the world’s most recognized programs. These include long-range over-the-horizon radar systems, mobile satellite communications for tactical operations, GNSS signal distribution in military fleets, and high-frequency signal calibration in naval intelligence systems. Our technology has consistently enabled precise synchronization, robust signal integrity, and multi-channel connectivity in mission-critical environments.

We help our customers enhance connectivity with RF-over-Fiber by HUBER+SUHNER, offering applications for low loss, high stability, and secure long-distance signal transmission.

Distribute GNSS signals easily with HUBER+SUHNER GNSS-over-Fiber modules, ensuring synchronised time data across systems in both fixed and mobile setups.