Cable Performance & Specifications

Built to withstand the harshest of environments, GORE Tethered Drone Cables for Commercial & Defense outperform standard cables for a number of reasons. Because every gram of weight saved on a drone matters, we package our cables with GORE® Abrasion Resistant Cable Jacket to significantly reduce weight pickup. This patented fluoropolymer fiber braid cable jacket also has low-friction properties, making our cables easier to handle compared to standard nylon cables.

Among other design considerations, our cables allow for more payload flexibility, increased height above ground level (AGL) during operation and greater drone responsiveness. They also expand line of sight or coverage and deliver the following benefits compared to other design options:

PROVEN HIGHER-STRENGTH MATERIALS

Thanks to our proven materials, our hybrid tethered drone cables provide continuous high-voltage power, secure signals and unfailing data transmission over the lifetime of the drone. That’s because we engineer them with high-strength, weather-proof components to withstand damage from the following:

  • Crushing & abrasion
  • Repeated reeling
  • Fuel, oils & salt water
  • Fluctuating temperatures
  • Humidity, rain & snow
  • Rough terrain
LIGHTER WEIGHT FOR MORE PAYLOAD

GORE Tethered Drone Cables for Commercial & Defense are 20% smaller in size than standard nylon cables, making them inherently lighter in weight. So, they take up less space inside the tether management system (TMS), allowing for more design options and extra payload during operation. And because they’re proven to deliver durable performance over the lifespan of the drone, they decrease time spent on intensive maintenance and cable replacements.

Standards Compliance across Commercial & Defense Applications

Gore tests and pre-qualifies GORE Tethered Drone Cables to comply with rigorous industry requirements. To determine weight stability after immersion in harsh fluids, we used SAE AS4373™, Method 601, to compare our cable to nylon-constructed cables. Results showed that the initial weight of the nylon cables increased by 13% in hydraulic fluid and over 7.5% in salt water. Meanwhile, Gore’s cable showed less than 2.5% in these harsh fluids. In particular, they held less than 1% in salt water, translating to 90% less weight pick-up.

This single-mode fiber optic cable also meets ARINC 802-3 requirements and is proven to provide a high level of crush resistance with low insertion loss. Besides complying with these standards, our hybrid cable also meets the following:

  • ABD0031 (AITM 2.0005); BSS7230; FAR Part 25, Appendix F, Part I: Flammability
  • ABD0031 (AITM 3.0008B); BSS7238; FAR Part 25, Appendix F, Part V: Smoke Density
  • ABD0031 (AITM 3.0005); BSS7239: Toxicity

General commercial and defense applications include:

  • Electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensors
  • HD streaming camera/video systems
  • Industrial & land inspections
  • Intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR)
  • Telecommunications

Ensuring a secure data link from the drone to ground support equipment (GSE), the single-mode fiber in GORE Tethered Drone Cables can serve as a low-loss coaxial cable for applications that transmit and receive data, including:

  • Temporary cell towers
  • Rural network connectivity
  • Mesh drone networks
  • Line-of-sight communications

It can even be used in video systems as a downlink for continuous streaming to provide situational awareness and coverage for emergency response, search and rescue, news and events, aerial photography and border patrol.

How to Order GORE Tethered Drone Cables

Fly higher, see farther and do more with a durable, low-weight hybrid solution like Gore’s commercial and defense tethered drone cables, available in a variety of standard configurations and sizes. To learn more about how this patented product and other solutions for aerospace and defense can enhance your application, contact a Gore representative today.

Selected complimentary samples with short lead times could also be available for this product based on in-stock availability. When you’re ready to make a purchase for GORE Tethered Drone Cables for Commercial & Defense, reach out to a Gore distributor to order one of the following part numbers:

  • RCN9164
  • RCN9166
  • RCN9168
  • RCN9188
  • RCN9190
  • RCN9217
  • RCN9218

FOR INDUSTRIAL USE ONLY

Not for use in food, drug, cosmetic or medical device manufacturing, processing, or packaging operations.