Case Study: Military Avionics Equipment Manufacturer - Interface LRU for Fighter Aircraft

The Challenge: The customer needed to integrate optical interconnects within a very densely packed Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) for a military aircraft application.  Specifically, a top-mounted MIL-C-38999 style external disconnect needed to route down and around several circuit assemblies and mate to an on-board parallel optical transceiver. 

The Solution:

• An easily installed pre-formed optical assembly
• The first assembly of this type to be successfully qualified
• Passed all tests where competitive solutions failed

Unlike copper interconnects, exceeding the minimum bend radius of optical fibers can result in excessive loss and reduction of margin in the optical power budget.  For a mil-aero application, this would have a direct impact on reliability.  If, as in this application, installers are not specifically trained in fiber optics, there are risks of snagging the optical cable as the card assemblies are inserted. 

The customer supplied Gore with a 3-D CAD model that depicted a precise, 3-D routing path for the optical interconnect.  Working directly from this CAD file, Gore created a drop-in solution based on a pre-formed optical cable assembly.   A requirement for no EMI emission or susceptibility through the optical port was met by a Gore-developed EMI backshell.  Finally, Gore qualified the assembly through a battery of harsh shock, vibration, temperature and other requirements. 

Gore’s unique technology:

• Removed the burden and risk of fiber optic installation
• Met military qualification