WaveOptix says it supplied RF-over-fibre module to defence

WaveOptix Defence Solution Private Limited says it developed and supplied an indigenous bidirectional radio-frequency-over-fibre module for radio communications to Indian defence within two years of its August 2023 incorporation. The stated delivery is supported by product listings for high-, very-high- and ultra-high-frequency radios and an RF testing facility rated from 9 kilohertz to 44 gigahertz.

What has WaveOptix supplied to Indian defence?

WaveOptix says it has developed and supplied an indigenous bidirectional radio-frequency-over-fibre, or RFoF, module for radio communications to Indian defence. The presentation places this achievement within two years of establishment and adds that the company has “many such Projects”, without identifying customers, contract values, order quantities, programme names or delivery dates.

The stated product is a bidirectional RFoF link, meaning the module is presented as carrying radio-frequency signals over optical fibre in both directions. WaveOptix identifies a special focus on optic fibre over radio frequency for long-distance and secure signal transmission, placing the supplied module within its stated secure communication and radar activity.

The timing is notable because WaveOptix was incorporated in August 2023. The presentation therefore describes a progression from incorporation to a supplied defence communications module within two years, but it does not provide a prior-period delivery comparison, revenue contribution or measure of repeat orders.

Which radio-frequency products does WaveOptix list?

WaveOptix lists bidirectional RFoF products for high-frequency (HF), very-high-frequency (VHF) and ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio, alongside specialised fibre-linked communications systems. Its listed range spans submarine radio communications, antenna remoting for a radio-frequency search receiver, and phase-matched links for electronic-warfare communications-intelligence direction-finding (EW COMINT DF) applications.

The antenna-remoting product is specified for 1.5 MHz to 3 GHz, whereas the 10-channel phase-matched RFoF link is listed in 6 GHz and 18 GHz versions. This shows the product list addresses different frequency bands and use cases, from search-receiver antenna remoting to direction-finding systems, rather than describing a single radio-communications module.

WaveOptix also lists fibre-optic cable assemblies and compatibility described as intermatable with Amphenol and TE connectors. That connector compatibility is repeated under products, infrastructure and the company’s stated differentiators, although the presentation does not specify connector models, qualification standards or the share of the supplied bidirectional module that uses those interfaces.

What capabilities support WaveOptix’s RF-over-fibre products?

WaveOptix says it has a design and development team, manufacturing and testing operations, an RF testing facility, and an optical manufacturing and testing facility. The RF facility is stated to cover 9 kilohertz (kHz) to 44 GHz, a wider declared range than the 1.5 MHz to 3 GHz antenna-remoting system and the 6 GHz and 18 GHz phase-matched-link versions in its product list.

The company describes its capability as end-to-end system realisation, backed by in-house expertise in RF, digital and optics disciplines. It also cites swift prototyping for intricate RF and optics systems, but gives no prototype cycle time, throughput figure, manufacturing capacity or yield data for the associate incorporated in August 2023.

WaveOptix further says its experience covers land-, naval- and air-worthy qualification. The listed submarine radio-communication application provides a naval use case, while the company’s stated manufacturing scope covers defence and space; however, the presentation does not say that the supplied bidirectional radio-communications module has completed a named land, naval, air or space qualification process.

How does WaveOptix fit within Krishna Defence’s expansion plan?

WaveOptix is an associate company of Krishna Defence & Allied Industries Limited, with Krishna Defence holding 40% equity according to the presentation. Krishna Defence describes the associate as focused on manufacturing for defence and space, with a dedicated team possessing radio-frequency technology electronics expertise.

The associate is part of Krishna Defence’s stated defence-electronics plan. On its way-forward page, Krishna Defence says it is investing in a company specifically incorporated to design, develop and manufacture defence electronics for defence and aerospace, while separately describing work on products intended to indigenise currently imported items and collaboration with defence research or foreign agencies.

That plan differs from Krishna Defence’s other stated development areas. Its new-business prospects include specialised weld consumables, additional components and hull structures, smart ammunition, indigenisation of imported steel products, and advanced underwater platforms. WaveOptix’s listed RFoF and optical-testing capabilities place it in the communications and electronics portion of this wider defence expansion, rather than in welding, steel or ammunition systems.

Krishna Defence also states an aim to grow at more than 30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next three to five years. That is management’s company-wide objective, not a revenue forecast for WaveOptix: the presentation provides no separate sales, profit, order book, capital investment or valuation figures for the 40%-owned associate.

Conclusion

WaveOptix’s stated supply of an indigenous bidirectional RFoF module is the clearest disclosed evidence that its defence-electronics activity has reached a supplied product within two years of its August 2023 incorporation. Its 9 kHz-to-44 GHz RF test range, optical facilities and products for radio, submarine communications and direction finding describe the technical base presented for that activity.

The next items to watch are execution against Krishna Defence’s disclosed plan to design, develop and manufacture defence electronics for defence and aerospace, and its stated more-than-30% CAGR aim over three to five years. The presentation leaves unresolved the supplied module’s customer identities, quantities, programme status, qualification outcomes and financial contribution, so later disclosures on those points would clarify the scale of WaveOptix’s delivery activity.