Li-Fi enhances US Army connectivity
USAREUR-AF Chief Technology Officer Andrew Foreman demonstrates Kitefin with a Getac tablet during a Li-Fi exhibition event in August 2021 at USAG Wiesbaden. (Photo: Candy Knight)
Li-Fi optical wireless communications solve certain limitations associated with RF communications, says US Army.
UK-based pureLiFi has secured another contract to supply its Kitefin system to the US Army, in what the company described on 8 December as a ‘multi-million dollar deal’.
This follows an earlier deployment of Kitefin by US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF), which will now expand its use of the technology.
USAREUR-AF Chief Technology Officer Andrew Foreman said: ‘Li-Fi technologies answer all three of the serious issues associated with the RF portion of the spectrum. First, due to the low probability of detection, jamming, and intrusion, FSO [free-space optics] and Li-Fi offer an extremely survivable form of communications when in direct conflict with a near-peer adversary.’
Technologies such as Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G use radio frequencies to transmit data, which produce large areas of RF emissions that are easy to detect, intercept, and can cause overcrowding resulting in slow speeds and unreliable communications.
Li-Fi, on the other hand, uses light rather than radio frequencies resulting in wireless communications that (according to pureLiFi) ‘is more reliable, significantly more secure, and simpler to deploy’.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces]()
British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces
The race between using ISR and resisting the use of it by enemies has accelerated, leading to new methods and systems being required, according to the British Army’s lead on its ISR efforts.
-
![Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract]()
Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract
The deal with Jacobs will run until November 2027 and will see the company deliver a range of digital and IT specialist professional services to Defence Digital.
-
![Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg]()
Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg
Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg NanoAvionics will produce three satellites and launch them in 2025.
-
![First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched]()
First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched
In 2015, South Korea named a consortium of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems, along with Thales Alenia Space providing the SAR payload derived from its HE-R1000 product, as preferred bidder to develop new Korea 425 Project reconnaissance satellites.
