Specialty Photonics Division

Your Optical Fiber Solutions Partner

Optical Fiber, Cables, Components and Modules

Industries and Applications

Government, Aerospace and Defense

OFS has a long history of serving the defense market with custom and standard fibers, cables and assemblies frequently deployed in harsh environments. Our products perform with high reliability in data/communication systems used in space, commercial and military aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), ground and undersea. Fiber Bragg Gratings and specialty fibers in reduced diameters or in polarization maintaining design enable a wide range of sensors. We qualify our defense products to common standards or to the specific requirements of individual customers.

OFS is an American company and maintains a military cage code (OMZN3, Vendor #147825582). We comply with all applicable U.S. trade compliance laws and regulations including ITAR.

Avionics Fibers and Cables

Stringent requirements are a given for most avionics applications. Our extensive selection of coatings, buffers and cabling materials allow our specialty fibers to be configured into cables with small form factor and light weight, and that exhibit stability over high temperature, shock and vibration, as well as resistance to chemicals and solvents. For commercial aircraft it is especially important that cables resist flaming, and minimize smoke and toxicity when exposed to heat or flame. OFS FlightLink™ Cable uses a tight buffer design over a 62.5 µm core, and is fully qualified to the ARINC 802 standard, assuring its suitability for use in many commercial aircraft systems, including In-Flight –Entertainment. OFS Avioptics® Cable is built around our standard HCS 200 µm fiber, and has for many years been used in radio systems for aircraft.

Navigation

Aircraft—both commercial and military—use advanced fiber optic navigation technology. For gyroscopes and interferometric sensors, OFS offers reduced diameter 80 µm optical fibers for a variety of wavelengths or 80 µm polarization-­maintaining fibers customized by application. Erbium-doped fibers and laser stabilization Fiber Bragg Gratings, core technologies at OFS, are also used in gyroscope ­designs. Gratings are custom-specified products, manufactured to order. Contact us to learn more.

Optical Fibers for Payout Applications and Unmanned Deployments

Payout systems require a fiber optic tether between the launch platform and missile. When the missile is fired from an aircraft, vessel, or land-based platform, the highly reliable fiber pays out rapidly from a coiled spool and provides a continuous data path. This same dispensing mode can be used to remotely guide tactical robot systems with real-time, non-line-of-sight video or to observe a target in rugged, obstructed terrain. Employing our portfolio of fiber designs and harsh environment coating options, OFS can provide a customized solution.