Radar Antenna Cable Assemblies for Defense Aircraft

Mission success, aircraft survivability and military personnel safety depend on critical systems and components operating with no margin of error at all times — from active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar antennas and radar jamming used in an electronic countermeasure system to airborne SATCOM antennas.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) keeps increasing frequencies with millimeter wave (mmWave) technology being the next big trend operating at Ka-band frequencies from 27 to 40 GHz and V-band frequencies from 40 to 75 GHz. Armed forces are now equipping today’s newest fighters and retrofitting legacy fleet with future military radar technology operating at these higher frequencies in electronic warfare (EW) systems and aircraft survivability equipment (ASE). For instance, the U.S.Army’s Future Vertical Lift Program includes future attack reconnaissance aircraft (FARA), future long-range assault aircraft (FLRAA) and enduring rotorcraft fleet.

Connecting these critical systems and components are many radio frequency (RF) cable assemblies routed throughout the entire airframe. But, typical RF coaxial assemblies face reliability problems, especially operating at higher frequencies, like 5G and mmWave. The industry recognizes that they don’t survive complex installation and harsh mission conditions or meet size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements. At Gore, we offer a portfolio of proven high-frequency microwave/RF solutions that can help solve all of these problems in military aircraft radar systems.

Built with ruggedized materials, our solutions provide low-loss signals and superior shielding effectiveness from DC all the way up to 110 GHz through installation, maintenance and mission duration. Unlike commonly used semi-rigid RF cables, our products offer smaller, lighter diameters with maximum flexibility and tighter bending for trouble-free routing. And we rigorously test our products to comply with stringent industry standards, like MIL-T-81490, among other requirements.

Starting with GORE-FLIGHT® Microwave Assemblies proven to deliver the lowest insertion loss and more reliable VSWR up to 40 GHz after installation, during use and over time. Other features include a durable vapor-sealed construction and a fit-and-forget installation in many applications like between-the-box (A-Kit) and radar detector antenna systems.

Our assemblies help an AESA antenna in an aircraft radar system extend the frequency range and improve multi-target track and precision engagement capabilities. They help components for electronic countermeasures detect, identify, locate and analyze sources of RF emission for improved situational awareness and signals intelligence gathering. They’re also ideal for a phased array antenna satellite communication system.

For inside-the-box (B-Kit) or general purpose applications, GORE® Microwave/RF Assemblies are known to maintain reliable signal performance up to 67 GHz long after installation. With extremely small diameters down to 0.047 inches, they’re the right solution for inside electronic line replaceable units (LRUs) like receivers, amplifiers and processors.

The 7 Series of our microwave/RF assemblies is another option that prevents water vapor, jet fuel and other harsh contaminants from penetrating cable materials and corroding exposed wires. Delivering unfailing signals at frequencies up to 50 GHz, they’re an excellent choice to incorporate into a SATCOM antenna design. These aircraft communication assemblies make sure airborne antenna interface systems regularly transmit and receive signals to and from satellites ensuring real-time voice and data communications.

Testing critical defense aircraft systems require accurate and repeatable measurements, so you can always trust the results. GORE® PHASEFLEX® Microwave/RF Test Assemblies guarantee stable performance up to 110 GHz in test systems like network and portable analyzers, plus other aircraft test systems. Depending on your specific aviation antenna application, they can also be used in some defense aircraft systems.

We offer a wide variety of robust, low-profile connectors specifically manufactured for our flexible coaxial assemblies providing system architects and engineers with much-needed design flexibility. They’re precisely built to complement the performance of each RF cable type, minimizing loss and reflection for optimized signal transmission. 

Many of our connectors are designed for high-frequency applications beyond X-band or Ku-band and comply with SOSA™ standards and the VITA 67.3 standard. As an example, our size 12 SMPM connector provides reliable signal transmission up to 50 GHz when gang-mated with MIL-DTL-38999, size 25 connectors.

Since 1976, Gore has supplied award-winning microwave/RF assemblies capable of operating reliably at frequencies in the military radar range without failure in the harshest, most complex environments. Leading OEMs rely on our proven, long-lasting solutions for mission-critical success, aircraft survivability and personnel safety.

And we’ve been a long-trusted partner to the aerospace and defense industry for wires, cables and sealants since 1958. We’re proud that our products continue to win industry awards and have been used in many defense aircraft applications.