CHICAGO, IL - Stratos Optical Technologies’ (www.stratosoptical.com) says that segments of the U.S. Military plan to purchase the company’s HMA Series fiberoptic expanded beam (EB) connectors to link tactical optical communications cables in the battlefield.
According to the company, the government’s decision was influenced by the HMA connectors’ ability to interface with existing TFOCA and TFOCAII technology-the legacy standards used by the Army and Marines for battlefield communications-via the use of Stratos’ patent-pending, inter-series TFOCA-to-HMA Expanded Beam adaptor.
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Although considered an excellent solution for many applications, Stratos says the physical contact (PC) optical mating conventions found in TFOCAII connector technologies can be problematic in tactical harsh environments. The adapters are designed to offer a “migration solution” from TFOCAII to Expanded Beam, which Stratos believes will bring to battlefield environments the same performance and reliability benefits the connectors have provided in other harsh environments.
The HMA connectors’ optical lens system is designed to provide immunity from water, mud, dust, oil and other contaminants that can damage the fiber end-face of TFOCA connectors. With Expanded Beam technology, the optical fiber is fully enclosed and sealed behind a hard-coated lens. Stratos says the expanded light transmission is less sensitive to mechanical misalignments and end-face contamination common in tactical deployments.
Stratos adds that its military-grade solution can also be quickly installed and repaired in the field, with limited training required.
