Fiber optic cables help special operators stay concealed.

TACOMA, WASH. -- Fiber optic cables that connect tactical radios to antennas up to 10 kilometers away or farther can be useful tools in covert operations, said an industry expert.

The technology replaces shorter, heavier cables that can be more easily detected by enemy forces. "The enemy knows antennas mean command and control," said Raymond Madonna, vice president of Syntonics LLC, a supplier of military communications equipment.

Instead of using one regular coaxial cable for each radio, an operator can use one lightweight fiber optic cable to connect all his radios on the battlefield, said Madonna.

The technology is called the fiber optic remote antenna extension RF-over fiber communications system, or FORAX. The company began supplying the system to the U.S. Special Operations Command in 2005.

The hardware is also installed in national command centers in the Pentagon.

The ability to link battlefield radios to antennas that are located several kilometers away eliminates the grouping of antennas and radios in one spot, Madonna said during a Lodestar Group special operations conference. Clusters of radios and antennas create huge targets for adversaries, he said.

Fiber optic cables can transmit data faster and over longer distances than coaxial cables. The Syntonics system uses optical fibers that can transport any radio frequency signal. The cables connect most military radios to their antennas, including VHF, UHF, single channel ground and airborne radio system (SINCGARS) and Link 16, among others.

In June 2006, Syntonics delivered its FORAX-SC2 to the Army and Air Force for their UHF tactical satellite communications system. The following month, the company was awarded an Air Force contract for two of these cables, one for a UHF radio and one for a VHF radio. They are used at a command post at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. and at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

Additionally, the technology is being used overseas at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. In October, the company delivered a 20-watt tactical satellite cable system there for use in a command and control facility.