The critical importance of EMC protection in defence solutions 

Ensure signal integrity, mission reliability, and survivability in electromagnetically hostile environments with correct EMC protection.

Military environments are among the harshest, with extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, moisture, and high levels of electromagnetic activity. To ensure mission success, defence systems must not only function individually but also operate together without interfering with each other. 

 

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) has become extremely important when designing modern defence systems. As defence platforms integrate more electronics, such as radar, communications, sensors, navigation and weapons control, the risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI) threatening system performance grows exponentially. 

 

EMC technologies such as EMI shielding gaskets, conductive elastomers and rugged enclosure solutions play an essential role in preserving signal integrity and operational reliability. Together with our partners Vanguard and Schlegel EMI we deliver proven, mil-grade components engineered to meet stringent military standards including MIL-DTL-83528, A-A-59588, and others.  

 

High electronics density creates higher risk for EMI distruptions

 

Defence platforms both on land, in air and out on the sea are usually packed with many high-performance electronic systems into very limited space and those often share the same enclosure or power network.  

 

This can allow a radar’s high-energy pulses to couple into communication lines, digital processor noise to interfere with analog sensors, or power-bus harmonics to migrate into guidance electronics. With so many tightly co-located systems, both radiated and conducted EMI become far more likely, increasing the risk of corrupted data, degraded signal quality, and, in severe cases, system instability or failure. 

 

To remain reliable under these conditions, every defense electronic system must be designed with robust EMC resilience, ensuring it can withstand severe external radiation, suppress its own emissions, and maintain stable performance even when exposed to intense electromagnetic stress. 

 

Modern defense platforms pack high-performance electronics into tight spaces—making electromagnetic interference a serious design challenge

 

Risks of electromagnetic interference

 

Electromagnetic interference can cause a various operational risks that can lead to mission failure.  

 

One of the common issue is that EMI disrupt or disable the electronics responsible for critical functions such as flight control surfaces, turret actuation or radar signal processing. Even brief interruptions in these systems can lead to instability, loss of control or failure to engage targets, creating safety issues. 

 

Beyond outright malfunction, EMI often manifests as degraded communications and impaired sensor performance. Military radio networks may experience signal distortion or complete loss of connectivity, while GPS and other GNSS-based navigation systems can suffer from reduced accuracy or total denial of service. Radar systems may lose tracking fidelity, electronic surveillance suites can become desensitized or confused by noise, and corrupt data links between platforms. These effects compromise situational awareness, reduce operational coordination, and introduce uncertainty into command and control, making reliable EMC protections essential for modern defense operations. 

 

Defence EMC standards & requirements 

 

Defence systems must comply with rigorous EMC standards such as: 

• MIL-DTL-83528 – Performance requirements for EMI/RFI shielding gaskets 

• A-A-59588 – Silicone rubber material requirements 

• UL94 V0 – Flame resistance for materials 

• MIL-C-7438 – Environmental performance and conductivity 

• IPC & IEEE standards for electronics reliability 

 

Vanguard and Schlegel provide shielding solutions specifically engineered to meet or exceed these requirements, offering attenuation up to 120 dB across broad frequency ranges.

 

Integrating EMC protection into defence system design 

 

Decisions regarding EMC protection must be addressed early in the design cycle. Because thermal behavior, mechanical layout, and electromagnetic performance are closely linked, early co-simulation and co-engineering help reduce downstream risk by ensuring that heat dissipation paths, structural features, and shielding strategies reinforce rather than conflict with one another.  

 

Effective EMC protection also depends on creating continuous, reliable shielding boundaries across all interfaces. This includes maintaining conductive integrity at enclosure seams, ensuring proper grounding and contact performance at connectors and I/O interfaces, and managing cable assemblies and board-to-board transitions so they do not become unintended antennas or coupling paths. 

 

Electromagnetic compatibility must be addressed early in the defense system design process.

 

Material selection plays an equally critical role and must be tailored to the environmental conditions of each platform.  
 

• Fluorosilicone materials excel in areas exposed to fuels, oils, and hydraulic fluids 

• High-temperature silicone elastomers support avionics or engine-adjacent electronics 

• Nickel-graphite formulations offer strong corrosion resistance 

• Silver-filled elastomers deliver maximum shielding effectiveness for the most demanding RF environments.  

 

Regardless of the specific materials chosen, EMC solutions must maintain performance under extreme battlefield stresses, including constant vibration, severe shock, rapid temperature cycling, and moisture or particulate ingress.  

 

Technologies such as Vanguard’s dual-elastomer gaskets and Microbridge® gaskets are engineered specifically to preserve consistent electrical and mechanical integrity under these harsh conditions, ensuring that shielding remains effective throughout the operational life of the system.