Optical component/hardware insertion into tactical/sensor systems: Risks and lessons learned

The "blind" reliance on traditional "Commercial-off-the-Shelf\´ optical components and data specifications has so far proven insufficient to fully meet most avionic/sensor system needs. LM\´s successful insertion of optics into avionic and radar system architectures indicate that the mapping of system constraints drive optical component/link performance standards. It\´s the tactical system owner\´s responsibility to maintain technical oversight of optical component constraints and work integrally with the optical component supplier to bind those constraints into the physically realizable (and yieldable) parts.