• • • CABLES • • •
The tug-of-war between speed and strength: How to strike a balance between
cable performance and resilience In aerospace and military defences, cables hold vast mechanical responsibility By Jeff Wood, Sales Director, WireMasters
Q
uietly operating in the background, they are expected to successfully transmit signals and data in some of Earth’s
harshest conditions, needing to withstand extreme winds, temperatures and vibrations. The main challenge lies in achieving the optimal balance between cable performance and rugged resilience. Here, Jeff Wood, explains the importance of both performance and resilience in wiring solutions for aviation and military, and how to find a middle ground that best fits the application. Often, a successful cable design is associated
with its speed or bandwidth. While both qualities contribute towards high cable performance, durability can consequently be overlooked. However, a resilient cable provides longevity, ruggedness and reliability, which are crucial to aerospace and military applications in demanding environments. Instead of maximising one or the other, good cable solutions intelligently integrate both performance and durability into their designs.
Performance vs resilience Performance is more than just speed. A cable’s performance refers to its ability to deliver consistent, reliable data power or signal transmission. High performance cables, like ethernet cable CAT8, are suitable for data centre applications like switch-to-switch communications, due to braided copper shielding that minimises electromagnetic interference (EMI). This level of EMI resistance from shielding maintains signal integrity which is responsible for delivering consistent transmission.
Resilience is more about whether the cable
keeps functioning, especially when deployed to hostile environments. When designing a rugged cable, there is more focus on materials. Polyurethane (PUR) in jacketing for example, provides resistance to abrasion, fluid exposure and chemical wear, with PUR-jacketed cables commonly achieving an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP65 to IP69<. In some applications across aerospace and
military, high performance isn’t enough. A lightweight Ethernet cable for instance seems like a suitable solution for military mobile radar trackers. With bandwidth ranging from 250 megahertz (MHz) to 1000 MHz and minimal signal loss, it’s clear why. However, in the field, these cables have failed within weeks of deployment, being unable to withstand hydraulic fluid exposure, a constant presence in radar trackers. Despite the high performance, the cables failed due to physical wear.
12 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2025
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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