WASHINGTON, 13 Aug. 2009. The braking and master flight control computer systems on the Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) uses KA electrical connectors from Hypertronics in Hudson, Mass.
The KA avionics connectors were selected due to their reliability and robustness under harsh environments, shock and vibration, Hypertronics officials say. They made the announcement this week at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America conference and exhibition in Washington.
Global Hawk can fly at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours, and has many potential Earth science and weather monitoring applications, in addition to overseas contingency operations support. The MIL-DTL-55302 QPL'd Hypertronics KA printed circuit board contact system is able to perform at the high heat and elevations required for the UAS.
The KA's are available in more than 2,500 model configurations. The system uses 0.60 diameter pins/sockets that are rated at 4amps with an insertion/extraction force of 1 ounce and for ultimate conductivity are gold(min) over nickel. They are made from corrosion resistant materials.
The Hypertronics Hypertac system is a unique contact design characterized by a wire basket technology which encapsulates a male pin and guarantees continuous signal integrity especially critical in space and military applications where a robust contact is required that can withstand high levels of shock and vibration. The wire basket design creates a 360 degree point of contact which ensures signal reliability, eliminates electrical intermittencies and fretting which can be an issue with many connectors, company officials say.
The Global Hawk is used for diverse missions that vary from combat operations on land and sea to supporting civil authorities in disaster relief operations or global climate monitoring.
