Disrupted environments
Mission-critical users require sensing that can operate when conditions become difficult.
Optii Corporation
Passive Photonic RF Sensing for Contested Environments
Optii develops resilient fibre-optic RF sensing systems designed to preserve mission-critical RF awareness where conventional electronic sensing may be disrupted, degraded, or unable to perform.
Optii at-a-glance
Modern operations depend on RF awareness, but conventional electronic sensing systems can be vulnerable in disrupted, interference-heavy, or high-consequence environments.
Sensing edge vulnerability
Electronic sensing nodes can create operational risk when they require power and electronics at the sensing point.
Distributed awareness
Defence and infrastructure users increasingly need sensing concepts that scale across platforms and perimeters.
The Optii Difference
A simple contrast between conventional electronic sensing nodes and Optii's passive photonic sensing approach.
| Conventional RF Sensing | Optii Photonic Sensing |
|---|---|
| Electronic sensing at the node | Passive optical sensing point |
| Requires local electronics and power | No power or battery required at sensing end |
| More exposed to disruption | Designed for resilient sensing environments |
| Centralized architecture | Distributed and fibre-enabled deployment potential |
Application Areas
Explore where Optii passive photonic RF sensing can support resilient awareness across defence, maritime, aerospace, infrastructure, and wide-area security environments.
Defence and National Security
Survivable RF awareness for contested operating environments.
Maritime
Resilient sensing concepts for naval, port, coastal, and maritime infrastructure contexts.
Aerospace and Space
Photonic sensing concepts for extreme, remote, and mission-critical environments.
Critical Infrastructure
Distributed sensing for facilities, energy, communications, and secure industrial environments.
Border and Perimeter Security
Fibre-enabled awareness across wide-area, remote, and mission-critical environments.
Counter-UAS
A passive RF sensing layer for evaluation within integrated Counter-UAS architectures.
Electronic Warfare Sensing
Passive photonic sensing concepts for spectrum awareness in contested environments.
Validation Snapshot
Public results are qualified by test conditions and separated from current development goals.
Public maturity
TRL 6 complete; TRL 7 development and validation underway.
Development roadmap
Planned expansion beyond the demonstrated X-band (8–12 GHz) engineering focus; not continuous demonstrated coverage.
Frequency response
Laboratory work has demonstrated a frequency-selective photonic response; no public linewidth measurement is stated.
Demonstrated sensitivity
Approximately -40 dBm under tested laboratory conditions
Completed, 2025
TRL 6 system demonstrated
System demonstration completed in controlled or simulated relevant conditions.
Underway, 2026
TRL 7 operational demonstrations
System development and demonstrations in appropriate operationally relevant environments.
Planned
Formal field validation
Build evaluator confidence through structured field testing.
Market Access Snapshot
Optii is building market visibility across Canada, the United States, and Europe for defence, maritime, aerospace, critical infrastructure, and NATO-aligned sensing opportunities.
Canada
Ottawa headquarters, Canadian defence ecosystem engagement, ITB-aligned prime contractor partnerships, and Value Proposition relevance.
United States
Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads presence supporting U.S. defence innovation, maritime security, and partner conversations.
Europe
Allied-market visibility through defence and security events, NATO-aligned sensing discussions, and aerospace and border-security opportunities.
Progress & Partnerships
Advancing passive photonic RF sensing through technology innovation, strategic partnerships, and international research collaboration.
Research Collaboration with Old Dominion University
Optii signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Old Dominion University, establishing a foundation for collaborative research, technology development, and new opportunities within the U.S. defence innovation ecosystem.
Advancing Defence Research Collaboration
Following a successful technology demonstration, Optii received a letter of support from Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), marking an important milestone in advancing its photonic RF sensing technology and future research collaboration.
Expanding into the United States
Optii joined the Virginia Beach International Incubator, strengthening its U.S. presence and expanding opportunities to collaborate with defence organizations, research institutions, and industry partners in the Hampton Roads region.
Latest Optii News
Follow Optii announcements, demonstrations, conference activity, ecosystem engagement, and technical milestones.
Optii Exhibits at SaaS North 2026 and DEPLOY
Optii joined the Defence Showcase at SaaS North 2026 in Ottawa, exhibiting at Booth D30 during the November 4–5 event and its DEPLOY defence and dual-use summit.
Optii Returns to GCXpo 2026
Following a year of progress toward commercialization, Optii returns to Area X.O on September 29 to showcase its passive photonic RF sensing technology.
Optii Recaps Eurosatory 2026 Lab Exhibition and European Partner Engagement
Optii exhibited as part of Eurosatory Lab 2026 in Paris, generating strong interest in passive photonic RF sensing and its counter-UAS potential while meeting partners across Europe.
Technical teams, conference visitors, and partners can start here.
Request a briefing, explore technology fit, or open a use-case discussion with Optii.