As military and aerospace applications move toward Gigabit and 10G networks, standard military connector technology has not kept pace. To evaluate the suitability of various connectors, we tested differential near-end crosstalk in links containing a traditional MIL-DTL-38999 connector and two connectors from TE Connectivity (TE) designed specifically for gigabit and 10G applications. 

Testing for both gigabit (Cat 5e) and 10-gigabit (Cat 6a) data rates included links with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 connectors in the path. The results showed that the 38999 connectors passed Cat 5e tests for one connector, but was unsuited to other configurations. The TE connectors passed all tests—indicating the need for controlled impedance connectors designed for high data rates.