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Obsolete RF part? We'll find it, replace it or repair it.

When an RF, microwave or millimetre wave part goes end-of-life, RF Com finds the route that keeps your system running: original and surplus stock, qualified alternatives, Form-Fit-Function replacement or repair. Over 25 years of keeping defence, aerospace, space and test systems in service.

Send us your part number
  • ISO 9001:2015
  • JOSCAR Approved
  • ITAR Registered Broker
  • Cyber Essentials
  • TRACE
  • No minimum order

Your system is built to last. Its parts weren't.

Airborne radars, naval sensors, missile sub-assemblies, satellite ground stations and test racks routinely stay in service for 20, 30 or 40 years. The amplifiers, diodes, switches, connectors and waveguide parts inside them follow commercial product cycles measured in a handful of years.
When one of those parts disappears, the options can feel limited: pay a premium to an unknown broker, commission an expensive redesign, or take the system out of service. In practice there are usually better routes, and finding them is what we do.
The part usually exists somewhere in the world, or can be re-created. Finding it, or a qualified equivalent, takes a specialist network and people who understand RF, not a catalogue search.

Every route under one roof

Most suppliers offer one answer. We look at all of them and recommend the one that best balances cost, speed and risk for your programme.

Original and surplus stock

25 years of relationships across the UK, US and Europe give us routes to original stock that never appears on standard distribution, plus strategic inventory on high-demand legacy items.

Qualified alternatives

We identify drop-in equivalents and newer versions, and check them against your full application, not just the headline specification.

Form-Fit-Function replacement

A new part that is mechanically, electrically and functionally identical to the original, built with current technology and qualified to DEF STAN or your own test procedures. The platform does not change; the replacement drops in.

Repair and refurbishment

Our microwave repair and test facility repairs, re-works and re-qualifies modules to original test procedures, including reverse engineering where no design data survives.

Bespoke connectors and cable assemblies

Where a connector format is no longer made, our UK partner Intelliconnect re-makes it to the original design in small batches, supplied as complete assemblies.

Used and discontinued test equipment

Verified instruments with calibration certificates, so a discontinued unit in a qualified test rack can be replaced without re-validating the whole procedure.

Seven steps from obsolete to solved

Step 1

Confirm the status

We check with manufacturers and our network. A "dead" part is often still made under a new name, owner or part number.
Step 2

Build the data pack

Send whatever you have. Our engineers work out what matters and fill the gaps.
Step 3

Search original and surplus stock

We search routes to stock that standard distribution cannot reach.
Step 4

Qualify the source

Traceability checks, inspection and, where needed, electrical characterisation before a part reaches you.
Step 5

Evaluate equivalents and FFF

If stock is unavailable or unsuitable, we find a drop-in alternative or run an FFF replacement project.
Step 6

Consider repair

For high-value modules, repairing what you already have is often the fastest and cheapest route.
Step 7

Protect future supply

Each solved part becomes a repeatable supply line, kept on file with full traceability.

The right answer depends on your programme

We will usually present more than one option so you can weigh cost against speed and risk.
Route Best for Indicative timeline
Original or surplus stock Small spares quantities; recently discontinued parts Days to weeks
Drop-in equivalent Parts with a newer version or second source Weeks
Last-time buy Stable parts with known lifetime demand 4-12 weeks
Repair and refurbishment High-value modules and assemblies 4-16 weeks per batch
Form-Fit-Function replacement Lost-source parts where the function is documented 6-26 weeks
Redesign and re-qualification Major upgrade programmes 6-24 months
Timelines are indicative and depend on complexity, quantity and qualification level.

Surplus stock, bought safely

Once a part is obsolete, stock has to come from outside the original channel, and that is where counterfeit, re-marked and poorly stored parts get in. We qualify every source properly.
  • Known sources only: relationships built over 25 years, not spot purchases from unknown brokers
  • Traceability review: paperwork, origin and handling history checked before a part is offered
  • Inspection and test: checked against specification, with electrical characterisation where the application needs it
  • Honest advice: if old stock is not reliable enough for the service life required, we say so and propose an alternative
  • Compliance handled: export-controlled parts supplied on a standard UK purchase order through our ITAR broker registration

What we source and replace

Category Examples
Passive RF & Microwave Attenuators, couplers, power dividers, filters, isolators, circulators, OMTs, terminations
Active Components Amplifiers (LNA, PA, driver), switches, detectors, limiters, mixers, multipliers
Semiconductors GaAs Schottky diodes, PIN diodes, Zener diodes, transistors, thyratrons
Electromechanical Synchros, motor tachos, magnetrons, rotary joints, waveguide switches
Waveguide Components and assemblies from WR-650 down to WR-1.0
Connectors & Cable Assemblies Discontinued formats re-made to original design; semi-rigid, flexible and phase-matched assemblies
Microwave Modules Receivers, demodulators, mixers, power monitors, custom sub-assemblies
Legacy Electronics Resistors, capacitors, inductors, power supplies and sub-assemblies
Test Equipment Used and discontinued instruments with calibration certificates

Proven results

Legacy radar power supply: Form-Fit-Function replacement

Challenge: A major UK defence prime needed a small batch of a legacy airborne radar processor power supply for an overseas spares contract. The OEM had withdrawn it and no equivalent existed.

Solution: RF Com and Advanced Product Services designed an FFF replacement against the customer’s original test procedure.

Result: Full environmental qualification passed, spares delivered on schedule, and a sustainable new supply line for the platform.

Saab RBS15 missile: obsolete semiconductor replacement

Challenge: A MACom Zener diode was out of production, and earlier sourcing attempts by Saab and its subcontractor had failed.

Solution: RF Com found original stock as a stop-gap, then, because it dated from the 1980s, identified an alternative device with Linwave and had Muffett Engineering build a custom package to the original dimensions.

Result: Alternative devices integrated into the sub-assembly and under evaluation for service clearance.

We have also supplied legacy parts for airborne fire-control radar, fast-jet EW radar, helicopter maritime radar and automated test equipment, and installed complete waveguide networks in a major UK prime's radar test facility in three days.

Sectors we support

Obsolescence affects every sector that relies on long-life RF equipment:

Defence & Aerospace

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Space & Satellite

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Satcom & Ground Stations

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Test & Measurement

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Communications & 5G/6G

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Research & Universities

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Keeping legacy systems running since 2000

  • Every route under one roof: stock, alternatives, FFF, repair and test equipment
  • Engineers who understand the RF behind the part number
  • A specialist network you cannot find through standard procurement
  • ITAR registered broker, JOSCAR, ISO 9001:2015, Cyber Essentials and TRACE
  • No minimum order: single units and small spares batches are core business
  • NDA as standard from the start of any engagement
Airbus
BAE Systems
L3 Technologies
Leonardo
Smiths Detection
Thales
Raytheon Technologies
Honeywell

Frequently asked questions

  • What information do you need to start?

    A part number and a quantity is enough. Datasheets, drawings, photographs of the part and its markings, and details of the system it sits in all help us move faster.

  • How quickly will I hear back?

    You will get a direct answer within 24 hours covering availability, realistic routes, lead time and indicative pricing.

  • Do you have a minimum order?

    No. Single units and small spares batches are a core part of what we do.

  • How do you avoid counterfeit parts?

    We buy only through vetted, long-standing relationships and apply traceability checks, inspection and, where needed, electrical testing before any part reaches you.

  • What is a Form-Fit-Function replacement?

    A newly made part that is mechanically, electrically and functionally identical to the original, so it drops straight into the existing system without a redesign. It works best when the function is documented and there is enough service life left to justify it.

  • Can you repair a failed module instead?

    Often, yes. Our microwave repair and test facility repairs and re-qualifies modules to original test procedures, and can reverse engineer items with no surviving design data.

  • Can you handle ITAR and export-controlled parts?

    Yes. As a registered ITAR broker we supply export-controlled parts on a standard UK purchase order, with compliance managed on our side.

  • Is my programme information kept confidential?

    Yes. We work under NDA as standard from the start of every engagement.

Got a part that's gone end-of-life?

Send us the part number, even if it's incomplete. We'll tell you what is still out there, what the realistic routes are and what each would cost.
Send us your part number