Mil-Spec Cable

Mil-spec cable is designed to operate in harsh, demanding environments such as on the battlefield, on-board a Navy ship or a jet fighter, and inside missiles. These environments can be hot, abrasive, and/or corrosive. The individual military specifications are set up to define the intended use of the cable (power transmission, multi-conductor signal transmission, RF (radio frequency) transmission, etc.). The specification will also call out specific requirements for the type of wire used, requirements for internal shielding, the type of jacketing material required, etc. Some examples of mil-spec cable are MIL-C-17 for coaxial cable, MIL-C-24640 shipboard cable, and MIL-DTL-49055 ribbon cable. Mil-spec cable is also commonly used in commercial applications where reliability is crucial.