Since achieving NAVSEA qualification for MIL-DTL-24643/59 telecom cables on all U.S. Navy vessels in October 2015, Comtran says it has been busy filling orders for the cable. “With several new shipbuilding contracts awarded in 2015, naval shipyards across the country are interested in Defense-Link,” the company said. “After more than two years of research, development, and testing, the new specialty telecommunications cable entered the military market at the ideal time.”
Joe Barry, Comtran’s general manager, commented, “The approval timing was perfect. Out of the gate, we have orders for well over a million linear feet and we estimate that most of this is slated for new ships.”
Defense-Link was designed to withstand the harshest conditions at sea and during warfare, Comtran noted. The primary insulation, jacket, fillers, and tapes are all low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH). Comtran engineer and Navy veteran Bruce Lamoureux said the project remains close to his heart. “Working with our sister companies in the Marmon Group, we designed a proprietary thermoset polymer for the jacket,” Lamoureux explained. “The result is one tough copper cable—resistant to salt water, lubricants, and fuels that are found on Navy vessels.”
Comtran explained that General Dynamics Bath Ironworks recently completed sea trials of the 610-foot ship USS Zumwalt (pictured), which is the first of three stealth guided-missile destroyers commissioned by the Navy. Next in this 21st-century destroyer class, the USS Michael Monsoor is being built at Huntington-Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS, the company added.
Furthermore, last month, Ingalls also received a $618-million contract modification to fund construction of the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyer DDG-123. Comtran said it expects Defense-Link to be installed onboard this and other new warships. Defense-Link is also appropriate for Navy and Coast Guard ships requiring repair and retrofit during scheduled maintenance, Comtran concluded.