US military is looking at all options to secure its satellite communications line in case there is an attack on its satellites.Given the threat of Russian hackers, this might not be too distant in the future.
Read: Will this new underwater radio transmitter transform modern battlefield communications?
Most of the innovative solutions for US military comes from The (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) DARPA, the research arm of the defence department.
DARPA is testing a deep sea network of fibre-optics that goes by the code name TUNA (Tactical Undersea Network Architectures), which would act as a backup in case someone jams over-the-air communications, Space reported.
What is TUNA?
DARPA's TUNA project features radio buoys interconnected through fibre-optic cables that would be laid several feet deep in the ocean.
What are the challenges?
The project requires novel technologies - super-thin fibre-optic cables that can withstand rough seas for 30 days and self-powered buoys.
DARPA has also roped in US universities and private firms to help with the technology.
Applied Physics Lab (APL) at the University of Washington, affiliated to DARPA, came out with a prototype system called WEBS (Wave Energy Buoy that Self-deploys) that could generate energy off sea waves.
The system can either be airdropped or placed by a boat.
WEBS uses on board generators that can convert kinetic energy of the sea swells into electricity. The central tube will be balanced by a heave plate below as its floating wings move up and down the waves.
In order to test a working prototype of TUNA, DARPA is reserving $20million. Apart from these radio buoys, the research arm also needs to develop several thousand meters of the new next-generation fibre-optics cable.
The TUNA network is being developed as a temporary measure until US military is able to restore regular tactical communication links in case it get jammed.
