Cables & Cable Assemblies

Case Study: Helicopter Manufacturer - Optical Intercommunication Assembly

Military Helicopter

The Challenge: Military helicopters experience extreme shock, vibration and temperature. In this helicopter, a multi-point optical intercommunication link involved a nine-way harness with an array of military and commercial fiber optic terminations.

The Solution:

  • A reliable and user-friendly drop-in solution

Achieving stable optical performance in such an extreme environment means glass fibers must be cabled and terminated to minimize CTE-induced (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) micro-bending loss.  To meet this need, all GORE™ Fiber Optic Cable incorporates an ePTFE buffer layer to minimize micro-bending effects.  Gore’s crush-resistant cabling materials further insure reliable performance and simplify clamping. 

Gore’s unique technology:

  • An engineered fiber optic assembly
  • Fully qualified in military helicopter environment
  • Friendly installation
Application Need Requirement Gore's Enabling Technology

MIL-C-38999 and ST connectors in a nine-way harness assembly
MIL-T-29504 terminations, Commercial ST terminations
Termination expertise
Access to all available connectors
Application engineering support
Stable optical performance: military helicopter environment
 Low optical loss over extreme temperature and vibration Optical fiber decoupled from environment through GORE™ ePTFE buffer
Installers untrained in fiber optics Easy to install and route
 Crush and high tensile load resistant assembly, High strength ePTFE strain relief