Molex and AirBorn: A Strategic Acquisition Poised to Transform Aerospace and Defense Connectivity Solutions

To get started, we have gathered heavy hitters across both organizations to integrate people, processes and product portfolios. We are also taking a close look at how our collective, customer-first focus will continue to drive the development of advanced technologies and product innovations that create recurring customer value.

Combining Molex’s significant organizational scale with our purpose-built solutions will be a catalyst for innovative breakthroughs. Together we can further optimize size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements, which are essential prerequisites for aerospace and defense products. 

For example, AirBorn has been working closely with customers to help them move away from power “bricks” to VPX card-based solutions that deliver higher power levels without increasing the size or weight of power supplies. Working alongside a major customer, we developed an intelligent VPX power solution capable of providing more than 2,300 watts of power — nearly double the output of other comparable 6U VPX power supplies. 

The winner of a 2024 Platinum award for innovation from Military & Electronics Magazine, AirBorn’s VPX Power Supply fills a big market gap while eliminating the need for costly and heavy external filters. Currently, this VITA 62, Open VPX and SOSA compliant solution is being incorporated into high-altitude flight applications. It’s also ideally suited for electric and hybrid systems used in aircraft, ground vehicles, ships, boats, underwater vehicles and more.  

Meanwhile, Molex is poised to add significant value in supporting the advancement of new vehicle architectures and power solutions. For example, Molex’s Volfinity Cell Contacting System offers a reliable interface for connecting cells to the control board in an electric vehicle battery module, which is why it was selected by BMW for its next generation of electric vehicles.

Similar to many AirBorn customer engagements, Molex engineers often become valuable extensions to their customers’ in-house teams. We look forward to tapping into their world-class engineering experts around the globe to amplify and augment our continuing work with aerospace and defense companies worldwide. 

We will also seek opportunities to leverage existing Molex innovations. For instance, the technology behind Molex’s MX-DaSH family will be useful in assisting aerospace and defense customers as they transition to hybrid-electric vehicles. Named both interconnect product of the year and automotive product of the year in the 2024 Electronic Industry Awards, MX-DaSH unifies power, signal and high-speed data connectivity in a single, compact connector system. This technology also helps customers address emerging applications, such as autonomous driving modules, camera systems, GPS and infotainment devices, LiDAR, high-resolution displays, sensor-device connectivity and more. 

Another outstanding example of innovation is AirBorn’s FOCus Active Optical Cables, the first space-rated active optical cable (SAOC) solution on the market. These radiation-hardened, launch-ready vibration resistant cables comply with NASA EEE-INST-002 standards, making them ideal for space and satellite applications. Looking ahead, we see lots of opportunities to work with Molex’s optical connectivity team, which supports an extensive line of optical connectivity products, optoelectronics solutions and wavelength management systems. 

For decades, AirBorn has been steadfast in designing products and solutions for the environment they’ll operate in. After all, lives depend on these products performing as promised, so we spend a lot of time and effort ensuring that each product is ready for the rigors of mission-critical applications.

Equally important is adhering to the growing need for miniaturized products that meet specs for less space and weight. AirBorn’s SInergy connector family, which also won a Platinum award for innovation from Military & Electronics Magazine, uses one interconnect for several signal types, which is key to saving space. This modular, miniaturized interconnect is roughly the size of a U.S. quarter, making it ideally suited for applications like head-up displays in pilot helmets and satellites. 

Molex also is committed to driving leadership in the miniaturization of connectors and power systems, which is why millions of its connectors can be found in products from leading smartphone and smartwatch manufacturers. In particular, the award-winning Quad-Row Board-to-Board Connectors are impressive space savers, with staggered-circuit layouts that require 30% less space than conventional connectors. As such, the world’s smallest board-to-board connectors are perfect for space-constrained wearables and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) devices across many industry segments, including aerospace and defense. 

As Molex’s Aerospace and Defense Division continues to take shape, we will reinforce our customer commitments while seeking opportunities to extend our expertise into new areas such as soldier wearables and unmanned aerial vehicles.  

Over the years, AirBorn has kept pace with evolving customer requirements through regular touchpoints and proactive planning. This has enabled us to build product roadmaps that are at least five years out on the technology horizon. Our customer commitment, however, extends well beyond aligning roadmaps and resources, as we take our role as trusted advisors very seriously.

Molex shares this dedication, which is why both organizations have been leaders in their respective industry segments for decades. As we head into the new year, I look forward to exploring how best to apply Molex’s many product innovations in automotive, medical wearables, data communications and consumer electronics to provide differentiated value to aerospace and defense customers. 

Equally important are the countless opportunities to leverage Molex’s deep distribution relationships and global resources, which will enable us to expand worldwide. We are excited to increase support for aerospace and defense customers worldwide, including crucial EMEA and Asia Pacific regions.

Our strategic game plan involves Koch’s principle-based management framework, which is designed to facilitate long-term success by creating superior value that drives mutual benefit. This framework underpins Molex’s culture and will ease the assimilation of AirBorn employees into the Molex organization while empowering them to contribute their unique skills and experiences.  

Molex and AirBorn have winning records of success, which will prove pivotal in getting our line-up of solutions and players ready for a new season where we continue to take big swings on behalf of our aerospace and defense customers. Batter up!