In military equipment such as national defense, aerospace, ships, weapon systems, radar, missiles, drones, and other military equipment, connectors serve as critical electrical interface components. Their reliability, environmental performance, lifespan, and resistance to shock and vibration are extremely stringent. Traditionally, many military projects prioritize international brands (such as Amphenol, TE, ITT, Hirose, etc.) or specify high-end connector brands with military qualifications when selecting connectors. Although ABB has a strong foundation in the fields of electrical and automation and is involved in high-end protective cables and connection systems, there is limited public information about its pure "military connector" field.
However, this does not prevent us from analyzing from the perspectives of technical requirements, military standards, and domestic substitution trends: What are the difficulties for domestic connectors to enter the military system? Which brands have potential? How should we lay out strategies to break through?
One, the key difficulties in military industry verificationStrict military standards are required.
Military connectors often need to meet military standards or performance specifications such as MIL-DTL-5015, MIL-PRF-28876, and MIL-PRF-39012, involving temperature range, vibration and shock, salt spray, humidity and heat, voltage resistance, contact resistance, and insertion and extraction life. MIL-DTL-5015 is a classic circular military connector standard with extremely high environmental resistance requirements.
In order to pass these certifications, connector design, material processing, sealing structure, contact piece plating, and mechanical strength must be strictly standardized.
Design for Tolerance and Performance Consistency
Parameters alone are not enough; military verification emphasizes product consistency and reliability. The performance deviation between batches needs to be controlled within extremely narrow tolerances, and design needs to reserve margin. Additionally, it must pass extreme aging tests such as temperature cycling, humidity, and salt mist.
Long certification cycle, high cost
Military testing, environmental aging, and reliability testing may take several months, with high trial-and-error costs. Even slight design deviations may lead to multiple rounds of repairs and retests.
4. Customer specified or system entry barriers
Many mature military systems or main manufacturers have many years of experience and trust, and have designated brands or access through manufacturer qualification mechanisms. For domestic brands to break through, they need to provide同级 certification reports, prototype support, and even participate in project trials and acceptance.
High requirements for supply chain controllability and lifecycle support capabilities
Military industrial systems often require long product life cycles, traceable batches, stable material supply, and guaranteed logistics delivery. If domestic brands cannot guarantee these, it is difficult to gain trust.
Part Two: Potential Domestic Substitute Connector Brands and DirectionsIn China, some enterprises have already established a strong technical foundation in connector technology, especially in civil, rail transit, communication, and new energy fields. The experience accumulated in these areas can provide support for verification and promotion in the military sector.
●Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC Jonhon)
The company has both aviation and defense backgrounds and has made deep layouts in connector, optoelectronic, and cable businesses. Its military and civil attributes are strongly integrated, making it a typical representative of the domestic substitution route for connectors in China.
Professional manufacturer of domestic military interfaces / Subsystem enterprise
Some small manufacturers or research units focused on military interface, aerospace connectors, although less publicly exposed, may possess breakthrough capabilities in specific interfaces (such as circular plugs, coaxial, and optical fiber interfaces).
●Joint venture with international brands
The cooperation case between ABB and Amphenol in certain cable and connection systems indicates that even large electrical automation manufacturers tend to integrate high-end connection and protection technologies through cooperation.
Domestic manufacturers, if they can cooperate with international connector technology providers or integrate their advanced structures, sealing design, and certification experience, may also accelerate their entry into the military market.
How to reduce the difficulty of certification and accelerate entry into the military industry systemFrom the "Military Grade" project切入
You can choose to break through projects with slightly lower but still relatively strict standards, such as peripheral sub-systems of equipment and non-core control links. In these links, first pass the military-level standard verification, accumulate experience and reputation.
Module-based design and compatible interfaces
In the design phase, make the domestic connector structurally compatible with existing military specifications interfaces (such as MIL-DTL-5015 interface dimensions, thread specifications, etc.), facilitating replacement or whole-machine adaptation.
3. Key certification route pre-assessment + third-party cooperation laboratory
Plan the test items and environmental conditions involved in the MIL project in the early stage of product design, closely cooperate with qualified third-party laboratories to avoid the risk of rework later.
Strengthen material, process, and plating capabilities
Enhancing the basic capabilities such as contact piece materials (such as high-performance copper alloys), coating processes (corrosion resistance, wear resistance), sealing structures, and vibration-resistant structural design is the core of military verification.
5. Prototype Trial and Joint Verification
Cooperate with downstream system manufacturers or military units for prototype trials, verify the advantages and disadvantages in real environments, and use this to accumulate verification data and feedback for design optimization.
Domestic connectors truly entering the military system and replacing international brands indeed poses a significant challenge: it requires not only technology, materials, and process to meet military specifications but also a long certification process cycle and high costs. However, this is not an insurmountable barrier. With the technical accumulation, design iteration, cooperation integration, and certification system alignment of domestic manufacturers, there is a possibility of breakthrough. By gradually entering from peripheral subsystems, taking module compatibility, standardized design, and joint verification as the path, there is a greater chance of winning the trust of military projects.
If you are interested in domestic substitutes for ABB brand connectors, or have procurement needs, or have production or sales channels for such domestic substitutes and wish to engage in in-depth cooperation or communication, welcome to contact:
Manager Zhang 18665383950 (WeChat number the same)Connect with us. We look forward to working with more industry partners to jointly promote the application of domestically produced connectors in the military field.
