Hypertronics Connectors Provide Signal Integrity for Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System

HUDSON, Massachusetts -

Hypertronics Corporation (www.hypertronics.com/), a Smiths Interconnect business and world-leading provider of high performance interconnect solutions for the most demanding applications; today announced that their KA electrical connectors were selected for use on Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Used in the braking and master flight control computer systems, the KA connectors were selected due to their reliability and robustness under harsh environments, shock and vibration.

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 Qualified Parts List Hypertronics KA printed circuit board contact system is able to perform at the high heat and elevations required for UAS. The KA’s are available in over 2,500 model configurations. The robust system uses 0.60 diameter pins/sockets that are rated at 4 amps with an insertion/extraction force of 1 ounce and for ultimate conductivity are 50 micro inches of gold (min) over nickel. They are made from corrosion resistant materials that meet the increasing technological demands of the UAS industry where continuous operation in extreme environments is required.

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 other connectors.

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. NASA recently announced that the agency will use Global Hawks for environmental science research, providing valuable information to help understand global climate change. These Global Hawks are based at the Dryden Flight Research Center, NASA’s primary installation for atmospheric flight research.

Source: Hypertronics Corporation

Deborah West, Public Relations of Hypertronics Corporation, +1-978-568-2780, debbie.west at hypertronics.com