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Aerospace Ethernet Cables Approved for Military Use

Jan. 10, 2017
A line of high-speed Ethernet cables has been approved for QPL use in civil and military applications.

A line of high-speed Ethernet cables has been approved for QPL use in civil and military applications.

A line of Cat6a IEEE 802.3 1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet standard cables from W.L. Gore & Associates has been qualified according to the Society for Automotive and Aerospace Engineers (SAE) AS6070/5 and AS6070/6 qualified products list (QPL) for civil and military applications. The new industry standard supports the AS50881 electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) specification for high-speed data cables.

The 10-Gb Ethernet cables (see photo) feature low loss and excellent signal-integrity (SI) performance over long distances. They are manufactured with silver-plated copper conductors with PTFE dielectric material and exhibit impedance of 100 Ω with tolerance of ±10 Ω. The cables, with 500-V rating, have capacitance of 42.6 pF/m and nominal velocity of propagation of 80%.

“Reliable high-speed data interconnects are essential to operating new common and open system architectures,” says Oliviu Muja, aircraft wiring systems principal technologist for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). “We have already tested, validated, and qualified Gore’s Ethernet Cat6a cables for use in avionic systems for new and existing aircraft applications.”

“We are pleased that our Ethernet Cat6a cables are now approved on the SAE AS6070 Qualified Parts List (QPL),” adds Brian Tallman, product manager for W.L. Gore’s North American Aerospace Team. “We are also excited by the market response to the key features of our cables, like the small size, reduced weight, and greater flexibility. These features are making it easier for customers to route our cables in tight spaces of an aircraft without breaking or failing.”

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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