Fusion splicing in aerospace platforms

The aerospace industry nominally follows the commercial photonics industry in adapting devices and practices to perform in rugged environments that include aggressive ranges of temperature, humidity, altitude, shock, and vibration. Airborne platforms place particular emphasis on size, weight, and power. Optical communications in aerospace platforms requires an infrastructure that supports stable and reliable communication of data. Almost without exception, the aerospace fiber optic cable plant consists of cable and connectors; we find that the fiber optic connectors resemble bulky and heavy electrical connectors.