MARCH 17, 2010 -- APIC Corp. says that the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has released $9 million in funding for Phase IIC development of Network Enabled by WDM Highly Integrated Photonics (NEW-HIP). The NEW-HIP program is jointly funded and managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NAVAIR.

The focus of NEW-HIP is to research and develop advanced integrated electro-photonic components for the introduction of fiber-optic LANs aboard tactical military aircraft such as the future F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“These components and fiber enable open networks with near limitless bandwidth and performance lasting the life of platforms and systems, resulting in a significant reduction in total cost of ownership to the U.S. Navy,” said Chuck Caposell, Navy program manager for NEW-HIP.

Following the kickoff meeting at APIC’s Mid-Pacific Photonics Prototyping Facility (M3PF) in Honolulu, Dr. Adel Saleh, DARPA program manager, commented “This is a world-class facility for fabricating the prototype integrated components that will be needed in this program. We look forward to following the exciting work planned for this phase of the NEW-HIP program.”

APIC says it has pioneered development of integrated silicon photonics components for implementation of DWDM in avionics networks. The M3PF facility was opened in 2003 to provide fabrication of these devices, as well as provide foundry capabilities for other government and commercial projects.

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