Your Optical Fiber Solutions Partner

Avionics Optical Cables

for Commercial and Defense Aircraft

FlightLink Cables
FlightGuide Cables
Avioptics Cable

www.SpecialtyPhotonics.com

OFS | Your Optical Fiber Solutions Partner

OFS avionics cables are designed to offer optimal

performance in the special conditions found in aircraft,
where requirements commonly include:
High reliability

This brochure highlights three key avionic product

families:
FlightLink Cables - commercial aircraft

Long lifetime

Avioptics Cable - for high performance aircraft and

military vehicles

High strength

FlightGuide Cables - for military aircraft

Light weight
Wider temperature ranges than standard
telecommunications grade fiber/cable
At OFS we manufacture optical fiber, standard and

Typical Avionic Applications for OFS cables:

In-flight Entertainment Systems

specialty. Our broad portfolio of specialty coating,

In-flight Networking Systems

buffering and cabling materials allows our engineers to

Display Systems

design to key requirements such as high temperatures,

resistance to fluids they might encounter (such as sol-

Data Transmission

vents and jet fuel), and specific standards for smoke and

Communication Systems

toxicity, to name a few. Aircraft requirements are extensive, and testing is required to validate the performance

High-temperature Environments

and qualify the cable. OFS has been serving this indus-

Corrosive Chemical Environments

try for many years with both custom and standard cables.
In many cases, we have on file published results of independent testing, affirming our conformance to various
criteria and testing standards. This helps make the decision to use OFS cables in your aircraft an easier one.

Customization
OFS staff is available to recommend and assist in fiber and cable design decisions, and OFS can build and
test a cable customized to your specifications.

www.SpecialtyPhotonics.com

FlightLink
Designed for use in commercial aircraft, FlightLink 62.5
Cable has been tested and meets or exceeds the requirements of ARINC 802, Appendix C (MGT) for tight
buffered cables used in commercial aircraft. For increased

bandwidth OFS now offers FlightLink 50 m OM3 Cable

and FlightLink Bend Optimized SM Cable with identical
construction. FlightLink operating temperature range
is -55 to 200C.

FlightLink
50 m OM3

FlightLink
62.5 m

FlightLink Bend
Optimized Single-mode

Buffered Fiber Properties

Operating wavelength
Modefield diameter @ 1310 / 1550 nm
Core diameter

1310 / 1550 nm
8.9 0.4 m / 10.0 0.5 m
50 3 m

62.5 3 m

Cladding diameter
Numerical aperture
Fiber cutoff wavelength

125 1 m
0.200 0.015

125 1 m
0.275 0.015

Coating material
Coating diameter

Silicone
400 25 m

Silicone
400 25 m

Silicone
400 25 m

Black PFA
900 50 m

Black PFA
900 25 m

Black PFA
900 50 m

5.0 / 3.0 dB/km

4.0 / 2.0 dB/km

2000 MHz-km EMB

500 MHz-km EMB

160 MHz-km OFL

500 MHz-km OFL

Buffer material
Buffer diameter

125 1 m
1260 50 nm

(Tight Buffer)

Cable Optical Properties

Attenuation
Bandwidth

@ 850 / 1300 nm
@ 1310 / 1550 nm
@ 850 nm
@ 1300 nm

Macrobend performance

1.0 / 0.70 dB/km

@ 1550 nm

What is ARINC 802?

ARINC Specification 802 is intended to
provide standardization of fiber optic cable
for the air transport industry. The goal is to
avoid the proliferation of different designs
of cables to serve the same function on
different airplane models. This specification defines generic fiber optic cables for
the operational and environmental requirements for various airplane models. ARINC
Specification 802 comprises three sections.
Section 1 provides a general description of
the objectives, scope, the types of cable,
and the application environmental categories. Section 2 addresses the desired
performance characteristics of the fiber
optic cables. Section 3 defines the qualification tests that may be used to ensure the
cables meet the characteristics provided by
this document." - from official documents
of the ARINC Standards Committee.

1 turn on 10 mm bend
radius mandrel 0.2dB

Cable Design
Cable construction
Outer cable diameter
Cable weight

Tight-Buffered Simplex with braided strength member

1.8 0.1 mm
4.0 kg/km

Outer jacket material

Outer jacket color

PFA
Light purple

FlightLink Cable

Installation and Usage Specifications

Maximum installation tensile load
Maximum operating tensile load

19.3 lbs. (86 N)

9.7 lbs. (43 N)

Silica Core

Minimum bend radius under load

Minimum bend radius unloaded

25 mm
8 mm

Silica Clad

Cable tensile strength & elongation

Operating temperature
Storage temperature

< 3% elongation @ 35 kg load

-55 to +200C
-55 to + 85C

Silicone Coating

Flammability, Smoke, Toxicity

PFA Buffer

Flammability: FAR 25.869

Time to extinguish
Maximum burn length

0 seconds
< 1.5 inches

Smoke density:
Ds @ 20 minutes
Toxicity: Flaming mode
ppm @ 20 minutes

Identifying Marker
Tape under Jacket
Braided StrengthMember Yarn

< 23.5
HCN
<10

CO
161

NOX
11

SO2
36

HF
<25

HCL
<3

Order by Part Number: Location A

C24712

Typical Applications

Communications, navigation, displays, cabin systems, in-flight entertainment

C22251

C24895

-- All testing for FlightLink 62.5 m was performed in accordance with ARINC 802 specifications by
independent testing laboratories. A full qualification report is available upon request.

4 | Avionics Optical Cables

PFA Outer Jacket

Avioptics Cable
Based on standard HCS fiber, Avioptics is configured
to withstand exposure to corrosive and other chemicals, including jet fuel, oil, solvents, and hydrolytic
liquids.

The step-index choice for high-performance aircraft

and military vehicles, Avioptics brand simplex cable offers many advantages, including fast crimp & cleave
termination.

Avioptics Simplex Step-Index 200 m

Optical Properties
Attenuation @ 850

8 dB/km

Cable Design
Fiber core diameter
Outer cable diameter

200 m 4 m
1.8 0.1 mm

Cable weight

4.0 kg/km

Outer jacket material

Outer jacket color

ETFE
Violet

Installation and Usage Specifications

Maximum installation tensile load
Maximum operating tensile load

100 lbs. (445 N)

30 lbs. (133 N)

Minimum bend radius under load

Minimum bend radius unloaded

25 mm
10 mm

Operating temperature
Storage temperature

-65 to +125C
-65 to +85C

Product Description Code:

Order by Part Number: Location A

HCP-M0200T-D01FS
AC02201-10

Typical Applications

Aircraft sensors Data transmission Radio systems Communication

systems Land vehicle wire harnesses High temperature environments Corrosive chemical environments Laser power delivery Laser
initiation Spectroscopy

Crimp & Cleave Compatibility:

SMA Connector

Avioptics Cable
Crimp & Cleave Termination
Avioptics cables are designed with HCS optical fibers, in which a hard polymer cladding is applied over a step index multimode core, creating a durable anchor for a crimped connector.
The OFS Crimp & Cleave termination process requires no epoxy or polishing and is a fast and
easy alternative to the traditional epoxy polish termination method. Using the OFS Crimp &
Cleave Termination Kit, the process can be completed in 3 minutes or less in the field. OFS
recommends the Harsh Environment SMA for use with Avioptics Cable.

Silica Core
HCS Clad

ETFE Buffer
Braided Aramid Yarn

ETFE Outer Jacket

www.SpecialtyPhotonics.com

FlightGuide
FlightGuide Cables were designed for use in military
aircraft. This high performing construction starts with
premium quality OFS fiber coated with carbon for increased reliability followed by silicone for cushioning
during bend. The ETFE material used for the buffer and

jacket provides abrasion and chemical resistance. The

braided aramid yarn results in high tensile strength.

FlightGuide
50 m OM3

FlightGuide
62.5

FlightGuide
Bend Optimized
Single-mode

Subcomponent Fiber Properties

Mode field diamter

@ 1310 nm
@ 1550 nm

8.9 0.4 m
10.0 0.5 m

Fiber cutoff wavelength

Core diameter

50 3 m

62.5 3 m

1260 50 nm

Cladding diameter
Numerical aperture

125 1 m
0.20 0.015

125 1 m
0.275 0.015

125 1 m

Coating type 1
Coating type 2
Coating type 2 diameter

Carbon
Silicone
450 25 m

Carbon
Silicone
450 25 m

Carbon
Silicone
450 25 m

Buffer
Buffer diameter

ETFE
900 50 m

ETFE
900 50 m

ETFE
900 50 m

@ 850 nm
@ 1310 nm
@ 1550 nm

6.0 dB/km
4.0 dB/km

6.0 dB/km
4.0 dB/km

Bandwidth

@ 850 nm
@ 1300 nm

2000 MHz-km EMB

500 MHz-km EMB

400 MHz-km OFL

400 MHz-km OFL

Macrobend performance

@ 1550 nm

Carbon Coating
Carbon used as a primary coating dramatically increases the reliability of fibers. The
carbon hermetically seals the glass surface
and impedes the slow crack growth caused by
moisture ingression. The fatigue factor (nvalue), a measure of the fatigue resistance, is
increased to greater than 100 as opposed to
20 for non-carbon coated fiber. The fiber is
then able to operate for an increased lifetime
or at a higher stress level for the same lifetime than a non-carbon coated fiber. Carbon
is applied to a thickness of only a few hundred Angstrom.

Cable Optical Properties

Attenuation

1.2 dB/km
1.0 dB/km

1 turn on 10 mm bend
radius mandrel 0.2dB

Cable Design
Outer cable diameter
Cable weight

1.8 0.1 mm
4.0 kg/km

1.8 0.1 mm
4.0 kg/km

1.8 0.1 mm
4.0 kg/km

Outer jacket material

Standard jacket color

ETFE
Orange

ETFE
Slate

ETFE
Yellow

Maximum installation tensile load

Maximum operating tensile load

90 lbs. (400 N)
30 lbs. (133 N)

90 lbs. (400 N)
30 lbs. (133 N)

90 lbs. (400 N)
30 lbs. (133 N)

Minimum bend radius under load

Minimum bend radius unloaded

25 mm
8 mm

25 mm
8 mm

25 mm
8 mm

Operating temperature
Storage temperature

-55 to +165C
-55 to +85C

-55 to +165C
-55 to + 85C

-55 to +165C
-55 to + 85C

Order by Part Number: Location A

C25964

C10028

C25364

Typical Applications

Data transmission Communication systems Corrosive chemical

environments Harsh industrial environments Aircraft sensors

FlightGuide Cable

Installation and Usage Specifications

Silica Core/Clad
Carbon Coating (Optional)
Silicone Coating
ETFE Buffer
Braided Aramid Yarn

ETFE Outer Jacket

6 | Avionics Optical Cables

This document is for informational purposes

only and is not intended to modify or supplement any OFS warranties or specifications
relating to any of its products and services.
Drawings are not to scale. OFS reserves the
right to make changes at any time, without
notice, to the products and specifications
described in this document.
OFS products described herein may be
subject to the U.S. Export Administration
Regulations and may require approval from
the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of
Industry & Security, prior to export.
Copyright 2013 OFS Fitel, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
ARINC is a registered trademark of ARINC,
Inc.
HCS is a registered trademark in the USA of
OFS Fitel, LLC.
FlightLink is a trademark of OFS Fitel, LLC.
Avioptics and FlightGuide are registered
trademarks of OFS Fitel, LLC.
0813

55 Darling Drive
Avon, CT 06001
Phone: 1 860 678 0371
Toll Free: 1 888 438 9936
Email: Info@SpecialtyPhotonics.com
Web: www.SpecialtyPhotonics.com
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