Molex has expanded its AirBorn SInergy modular high-speed hybrid connector range with new high-power modules, giving engineers a route to combine power, high-speed data, and RF contacts in compact aerospace, defence, and space systems.
The new modules support up to 25.0A power delivery within a standard module bay, which Molex says represents a 12.5-fold increase in power capacity for the platform. The SInergy architecture also supports high-density signal contacts up to 25Gbps and RF contacts up to 40GHz, allowing mixed connector assemblies to be configured around the needs of specific systems.
The platform is aimed at aircraft launch systems, radar, avionics, satellites, combat vehicles, and other mission-critical equipment operating in harsh or space-constrained environments. These applications increasingly require more power, data, and RF performance inside enclosures that are not getting larger.
Billy Rhea, Group Product Director, Aerospace and Defense Solutions at Molex, said: “The rapid evolution of next-generation aerospace and defense systems requires an exponential leap in power delivery. This latest extension of the proven AirBorn SInergy platform offers our customers accelerated design capabilities by enabling them to mix-and-match high-power, high-speed data and RF contacts for an all-in-one connectivity solution.”
Modern aerospace and defence electronics are asking more from every interconnect. Sensors generate more data, processors draw more power, RF paths need tighter control, and equipment designers are under constant pressure to reduce size and weight. Connector consolidation can reduce harness complexity, simplify routing, and free up space inside densely packed systems.
Hybrid connectors have been used for years, although fixed layouts can become restrictive when engineers need to adapt to board position, enclosure shape, thermal constraints, and subsystem architecture. A modular approach allows signal, power, and RF contacts to be placed where they are needed, rather than forcing the wider design to fit a predetermined connector pattern.
That flexibility can reduce redesign risk. Once a connector is tied into a harness, PCB layout, enclosure, thermal model, and qualification plan, late changes can ripple through the system. Modular families give engineers more room to refine electrical and mechanical interfaces while staying within a familiar platform.
Power density is becoming a particular constraint as radar, electronic warfare, onboard compute, autonomy, and advanced communications systems demand more electrical power. Interconnects must handle higher current without unacceptable heat, mass, or volume penalties. The same pressure extends into space systems, advanced industrial equipment, high-performance test platforms, and specialist transport electronics.
RF performance adds another layer of difficulty. Higher frequencies require controlled impedance, stable mechanical engagement, and repeatable performance through vibration, thermal cycling, and maintenance. Combining RF, power, and digital contacts in one compact assembly increases the design challenge, but it can reduce system-level complexity when the connector architecture is engineered properly.
The electronics supply chain is already being shaped by demand for stronger qualification, longer availability, and clearer component risk management, with connected devices, AI infrastructure, and medical technology all placing new pressure on design decisions. Interconnect technology sits inside the same constraint, because a weak connector choice can compromise a high-value system long before the main electronics reach their performance limits.
Europe and the UK are placing renewed emphasis on sovereign defence electronics, space capability, and resilient supply chains. Connectors are sometimes treated as supporting hardware, but they often decide how much capability can be fitted into the available envelope and how reliably that capability survives in service.
Molex’s SInergy expansion lands in a market where the connector is becoming a design constraint rather than a commodity interface. As aerospace and defence platforms become denser, more power-hungry, and more connected, interconnect architecture increasingly shapes the limits of the system around it.
