MIL-C-26482 Series I Military Cable Assembly

Overview

A military mil 26482 cable on MIL-C-26482 Series I is the general-duty circular harness that has been in service for decades and is still what most maintainers reach for. Series I is the bayonet member of the family: push, twist, and it locks with an audible and tactile click. Shell sizes run from 08 to 24 with contact layouts from two to sixty-one positions, so the same coupling covers everything from a two-way power feed to a dense signal bundle. It is not interchangeable with Series II or with 38999, and that is the single most common cause of a wasted purchase order on this family.

Key Specifications

Series I or Series II: same family, different hardware

Both are miniature bayonet connectors and both are covered by the same specification, which is exactly why they get confused. The differences are in the shell and in how the contacts come out, not in the electrical performance.

26482, 38999 or 5015: three families, three jobs

Picking a circular family is a decision about coupling, density and environment, in that order. This table is the short version of what installers learn the hard way.

Why the bayonet still earns its place

A threaded coupling is objectively better under sustained vibration, and Series I is still on aircraft and ground equipment everywhere, because a maintainer wearing gloves can connect a bayonet in one motion and confirm it by feel. That is worth something. The failure mode to manage is loosening over time: inspect the springs, listen for the click, and if a connector has been coupled hundreds of times, treat it as a wear item rather than as a permanent joint.

Construction and what we need from you

• Series I shells in the size, plating and keying you nominate.
• Gold-plated copper alloy contacts, crimped on the correct die for the size.
• Braid and foil shielding where the signal mix needs it, with the drain dealt with at the backshell.
• PUR or neoprene jacket, chosen for the fluid and temperature exposure.
• Overmolded or clamped strain relief at each shell exit.

How to specify your build

1. The full callout for both ends, including shell style, size and arrangement.
2. Which series – and if you are not sure, a photograph of the mating receptacle.
3. Contact count and which cavities are populated, with the pinout.
4. Jacket and shielding, with the fluids and temperature range.
5. Length and quantity, plus prototype or production.

Typical applications for this military mil 26482 cable

• Avionics and instrument bays where a harness has to come out for service regularly
• Ground support and test equipment, alongside a MIL-DTL-5015 circular power assembly
• Maintaining an installed base rather than designing new, paired with a 38999 high-speed harness on the new build side
• Vehicle and shelter interconnects, next to a railway rolling stock harness
• Dense signal bundles where a smaller connector is needed, with a Micro-D shielded jumper on the compact end

Workmanship and testing

For MIL-C-26482 Series I Military builds the line runs to IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 under ISO 9001, terminating 32 to 12 AWG. Every MIL-C-26482 build gets a continuity and pinout check before it is boxed, and seal checking is quoted whenever an ingress rating is on the drawing.

RoHS and REACH declarations are provided per project together with the agreed test reports; the documentation scope is listed under certifications and compliance. If your drawing specifies a UL style, we build to that drawing and supply the UL reference with the shipment instead of substituting an equivalent. The molded body is shot on our own presses; material choice and bond behavior follow the process described under how we run the overmold press. More background: how we build and document first articles. Any tooling we cut for this part stays yours, maintained in our own tool room under your part reference.

Custom builds and ordering

MIL-C-26482 Series I Military prototype lots start from 1 to 50 pcs and ship in 3 working days. Production requires 500 pcs and runs 14 working days after sample approval. Tooling not already held adds around 10 working days. Your part number and labeling go on OEM and ODM MIL-C-26482 shipments, and material certificates and first-article reports come with them on request.

Related military harnesses

• MIL-DTL-5015 Circular Power Cable Assembly
• 38999 High-Speed Harness for Radar and Airborne Ethernet
• Micro-D Shielded Jumper, MIL-DTL-83513
• Nano-D Space Harness, MIL-DTL-32139
• Railway Rolling Stock Harness

Full range: custom wire harnesses.

Frequently Asked Questions