The development of an 18-fiber optical ribbon cable for aerospace applications

The development of an aircraft-qualified 18-fiber optical ribbon cable was accomplished under the Fly-By-Light Advanced System Hardware (FLASH) program, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This cable was developed because there was no suitable ribbon cable available which could survive the requirements of commercial transport and military tactical aircraft. In addition to developing this cable, aircraft-qualified connectors and conversion units to convert from the ribbon configuration to single-fiber configuration, referred to as "fan-out boxes," were also designed and constructed. All of this developed hardware flew aboard Boeing Company Aircraft Group-Long Beach Division's MD-90 test vehicle as part of the Fly-By-Light Optical Aileron Trim (FLOAT) program.