FEATURE MILITARY & DEFENCE Enduring the war
The nature of war itself is changing, so too is the equipment warfighters rely on, with the demand for a much more soldier-centric approach at the forefront more than ever. Ahead of Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), Electronicsspeaks with LEMO, a design specialist and manufacturer of precision custom connection and cable solutions, with specialism in the military and defence markets about its view on the market conditions of these industrial sectors and its latest industry developments
ith increasing social and political unrest across the globe, military and defence technology solutions providers must keep apace with the advance of the latest systems to aid in the combat against terrorism and war. Speaking with LEMO about its view on
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the current trading market conditions, the company advises: “The military and defence markets remain buoyant and still represent the largest market within the UK for high reliability interconnect solutions.” The company is currently undertaking
some significant projects in this field including the development of a display solution utilising its miniature connector devices. Speaking about the project LEMO advises: “Our latest project success was for rugged displays where our M-series range of miniature high-density ratchet-locking circular connectors were selected for use within mission systems fitted to the latest generation military land vehicles. “With the constant evolution of
displays and subsequent space constraints, the customer needed an interconnect technology solution which was more compact than the traditional Mil-spec connectors, without compromising performance.” LEMO offers a wide array of connectors designed for the harsh environments of the defence and military market. The company’s key product range includes circular Push- Pull connectors with its T series, its F series and its screw coupling M series. These connectors have gone through
MIL-Spec testing and are rated to IP68. They are available in lightweight materials and in quick disconnect versions. High-speed connectors cable assemblies are also something the company specialises in. With such a sophisticated portfolio of solutions, which translate well into military and defence applications, the company will be presenting several latest ranges at DSEi this year. These
18 SEPTEMBER 2017 | ELECTRONICS
include the latest extensions to its standard off-the-shelf range of rugged circular connectors. This will sit alongside the demonstration of its new surface treatments such as the ground-breaking NiCorAl replacement for cadmium and interconnection as well as cable assemblies and fibre optic technologies specifically developed to meet the needs of the defence and security industries. The company has been over 50 years in the making so is wise to the evolution of the defence industry. Taking into account advances in electronics in the military and defence sector such as wearables and micro electronics LEMO advises: “The evolution of wearable and
microelectronics will continue to drive the constant demand for smaller, lighter and faster products. The challenge is to retain reliability and affordability during this miniaturisation process. To meet these requirements, LEMO will be highlighting its latest range of miniature 00” connectors at DSEi.” So again size and
Figure 1 & 2:
M series connectors from LEMO
capability continues to drive the market. War and terrorism crosses all borders and respects no boundaries. So demand spans the globe on an international scale. But LEMO advises it is finding some regions advancing more than others. The company advises: “USA, UK and France are generating lots of enquires at this moment in time.” It is unsurprisingly so after recent events that the company is finding market conditions more buoyant for this sector in these geographical regions in particular. As is the nature when it comes to
specialising in a particular field there are key challenges that can be expected to be encountered. For LEMO this includes: “Changes or cuts in government-funded projects where programmes are either delayed, reduced in scale or even cancelled and therefore investments in this area needs to be spread across multiple projects. “With the onset of austerity budget constraints, project-life extension upgrades are becoming more favourable rather than the development and installation of entirely new platforms,” the company advises. “Within Europe most major defence
projects are undertaken as joint ventures involving several countries and therefore a multi-team approach must be adopted to optimise service and delivery.” When asked if Mil-Spec issues were critical in terms of sales in Europe, US and elsewhere LEMO advises this is not necessarily the case: “In general terms the constraints of Mil-Spec connectors are only applied to platform/equipment interfaces. With the consolidation of equipment manufactures over the past 30 years and the onset of complete system solution these constraints are slowly being removed.” For more info visit LEMO at DSEi Stand S8-150.
LEMO
www.lemo.com T: 01903 234543
/ ELECTRONICS
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