Locking system for an electrical connector assembly

A locking system for an electrical connector assembly, comprising:

• a first electrical connector including a housing having a mating face and a latching surface facing in a direction generally opposite said mating face;
• and
• a second electrical connector including a housing having a complementary mating face for interfacing with the mating face of the first connector and a pair of metal spring latch arms having hook portions for latchingly engaging the latching surface of the first connector, the latch arms being cantilevered from opposite sides of the housing whereby the latch arms can be manually deflected to effect unmating of the connectors with a minimal force, the hook portions being configured generally with a radius which produce a lateral force to deflect the latch arms in response to an unmating force applied directly to the connectors that is greater than said minimal force, and the latch arms including oblique lead-in lips at distal ends of the arms for engaging portions of the housing of the first connector and biasing the latch arms to a deflected position upon mating of the connectors.