An optical amplifier is included within a fiber optic transmission system for driving a fiber optic towed decoy system. The optical amplifier boosts the optical power of a laser on board the driving system and compensates for link loss within the driving system and link loss associated with a blind connection between the driving system and the towed decoy. The optical amplifier may be an erbium doped fiber amplifier and may be run in a saturation mode. The result is a towed decoy system capable of operating more consistently across a range of platforms and in some cases less stringent gain requirements on towed decoy components.