Coaxial cables may seem like a simple means of transferring signals between two points in a system. But to the United States troops that rely on counter radio-controlled electronic warfare (CREW) systems overseas, coaxial cables are critical to the performance of the systems used to jam radiocontrolled improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Over 150,000 cables built in the MegaPhase MegaPhase facility in Stroudsburg, PA, for example, support the operation of jamming systems in numerous warfi ghter vehicles, including MRAP, M-ATV, Stryker, Paladin, and HWMMVs. The hidden explosives are typically detonated by simple radio transmitters, including cellular telephones, and the jammers can prevent the detonation signals from reaching an IED's receiver at detectable levels above the noise.
According to a United States Army spokesperson, "MegaPhase's RF cables and connectors have already and will continue to directly impact and save the lives of over 30,000 people. As a vital supplier to the war effort that requires precision cables and connectors with proven reliability in extremely harsh environments and all kinds of weather conditions, MegaPhase consistently deliverseven under diffi cult compressed schedules." MegaPhase Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO), William Pote, responds that "Our sense of urgency comes from knowing our cables are saving lives." MegaPhase's interconnect technologies include coaxial cables that have been used to test smart phones, transmit signals on the US Navy's new AWACS E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, Agilent's new FireFox handheld analyzers, and many other high-profi le projects.