Fiber optic technology is making significant
advances for use in a number of air and space platforms. Many
of these applications involve integration into systems which
make extensive use of optical fiber for high bandwidth signal
transmission. The large signal transmission bandwidth of
optical fiber has a large and positive impact on the overall
weight of the cable harness. Several current air and space
platforms that use fiber optic systems include commercial and
military aircraft, unmanned aircraft, the International Space
Station and several NASA and international space exploration
systems. Substantial sources of variability may be introduced
in the fiber optic connectors and termini that are designed into
each piece of equipment unless the design specifications
adequately identify operating and storage environments, use
widely recognized standards for fiber optic cable assembly
manufacturing and testing. At each development and
manufacturing stage, from design through manufacturing,
each type of fiber optic connector and termini may require
unique fixtures for processing and inspection. Involving
personnel from design through installation, together with
suppliers, may help avoid significant costs for equipment and
minimize or eliminate costly defects. Fiber optic technologies
do not require significant power and complex electronics while
allowing signal processing to be located close to the networked
applications. There are many benefits of fiber optic systems for
air and space applications, including minimal electromagnetic
interference and environmental effects, lightweight and smaller
diameter cables, greater bandwidth and the ability to be easily
upgraded. This paper presents an overview of defining fiber
optic system and component performance by identifying
operating and storage environmental requirements, using
appropriate standards to be used in fiber optic cable assembly
manufacturing and inspection, interacting with component
manufacturers for interoperable hardware, developing
inspection methods and fixtures compliant with the selected
standards and developing a quality plan that assures
satisfaction of every design requirement.