Military & Defense Markets

“Mission-Critical” Electronics Cooling Solutions for Enclosures and Transit Cases in Military and Defense Applications

EIC Solutions offers a wide range of standard and custom cooling solutions designed to protect sensitive electronics and meet the demands of extreme military environments – on land, in the air, and at sea.

When our nation’s defense is on the line, EIC’s cooling solutions are there to assist our troops by protecting their communication, encryption, surveillance and other electronic gear from damaging heat, dust, moisture, and corrosion.

Military Transport HelicopterThe Need for Environmentally Controlled Enclosures

The military’s move in recent years to network- and knowledge-centric warfare has dramatically increased the demand for state of the art Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. This coupled with the need for “mobile” command and control has presented significant challenges to keeping these systems running smoothly.

Today’s military embedded systems are running applications that require increasing computational power and communications bandwidths. These systems produce significantly higher levels of heat than previous systems and as a result are more sensitive to harsh environmental factors. Typically these electronic systems are installed in sealed enclosures and transit cases making thermal overrun temperatures one of the leading causes of failure and reduction in MTBF. The removal of heat, generated by these advanced electronics systems, has grown to be a critical issue since these systems must often perform in very high ambient temperature environments.

In addition, many of these systems utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) rack mounted electronics that were originally designed for operation in air conditioned buildings, not in extreme military environments. These rack mounted systems are now being installed and deployed in enclosures and transit cases that are exposed to ambient temperatures that are regularly in excess of 120° F and in many cases much higher. In addition to extreme temperatures, these sensitive electronic systems are also subject to the dust, sand, moisture, corrosion and vibration, typical of the harsh conditions found in military environments.

Air Conditioned Aluminum Transit CaseThe EIC Solution

In order to effectively solve these complex cooling problems, military personnel and engineers are turning to EIC’s thermoelectric cooling systems as an ideal solution when a low to moderate amount of heat must be handled in a harsh environment. Using patented solid-state technology to accomplish temperature change, EIC’s thermoelectric coolers eliminate the need for refrigerants and operate with fewer moving parts. They can cool enclosures to temperatures below ambient conditions while producing little noise and vibration.

Featuring reliability and a long life span coupled with flexible input power requirements and mounting arrangements, EIC’s thermoelectric air conditioners offer significant advantages over conventional cooling methods such as compressor-based systems. In addition, they are ideal solutions for applications where the cooling system must be portable or subjected to motion.

To provide a complete solution, EIC offers packaged systems comprised of enclosures and transit cases with integrated cooling assemblies. These systems are designed to protect and cool electronic systems in a wide range of military and defense applications including communications, surveillance, navigation, guidance and tactical computer systems. These integrated cooling systems offer superior performance with excellent temperature uniformity, resulting in lower electronic component temperatures, increased operational life and reliability (MTBF).

Additionally, the compact size and weight of EIC’s thermoelectric coolers allows them to fit a wide range of military enclosures, cases and environmental control units. Standard product modifications are also available to meet customers’ exact needs such as custom sizes, doors, holes, cutouts, colors and accessories to reduce assembly time, and for easy integration into new or existing systems.

With the reliable performance and flexibility that EIC’s advanced thermoelectric systems offer, military embedded system designers can reduce system size, weight, and power with improved cooling (SWaP-C), permitting better mobility and extended mission life. Whether the application requires an off-the-shelf or custom system, EIC’s engineers will help find the solution to best meet your cooling needs.

CLICK HERE for our Military Markets Brochure. Need help sizing your application? Download sizing guide

Job Stories

The following examples highlight the wide range of applications, environments, and clients who rely on our military air conditioners, transit cases and cooling systems to safeguard their mission critical electronics.

  • Deployable Mobile Firewalls – Cooling mobile firewalls to prevent cell-phone triggered IED’s from detonating near military convoys for a major defense contractor.
  • Encryption and Communications Gear – Cooling for deployed mortar tracking/eliminating and alarm systems for a major defense contractor.
  • Helicopter Electronics – Temperature controlled racks mounted inside custom military helicopters for a major defense contractor.
  • Remote Surveillance Housings – Enclosure air conditioners at US ballistic missile sites for a major defense contractor.

Additional applications of EIC’s products can be found in many other military related settings, including:

  • Aircraft and Aerospace
  • Antennas
  • Shipboard Electronics
  • Communications Equipment
  • Electronics
  • Embedded Computer Systems
  • Encryption Gear
  • Environmental Control Units (ECUs)
  • Guidance Systems
  • High-Power Lasers
  • High-Temperature (To 170 Degrees)
  • Ground Vehicle Electronics
  • Navigation Systems
  • Power Conversion And Distribution
  • Rack Mount Equipment
  • Radar Systems
  • RF Amplifiers
  • Ruggedized Equipment
  • Submarines
  • Surveillance Systems
  • Tanks
  • Telecommunications Equipment
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
  • Weapons Systems