Most Common International Standards for the Defense Industry

This article has been prepared to provide information on the general and most widely used standards, along with environmental testing scopes, employed in the acceptance of all types of aircraft, helicopters, tanks, personnel carriers—armed vehicles and parts—as well as ammunition, explosives, electronic systems, communication devices, weapons and similar products manufactured for the Defence Industry. In particular, highly developed countries and Defence Industry companies in those countries are producing various equipment for the Defence Industry, primarily their own defence systems, with economic gain objectives. In developing countries, each year significant portions of budgets are allocated to the Defence Industry for both developmental and deterrent purposes, with the desire to possess these systems. The expectations of advanced companies here lie in developing new technological products and increasing their market share in world markets. Of course, considering the conditions and geographical location of our country, this is viewed as a vital element and necessity for our country as well. Certainly, what we hope for is that our country will secure the production of the defence industry equipment and materials it requires by itself, continuously develop them, and find a place for itself in world markets when opportunities arise.

Let's say we want to manufacture equipment or a part for the Defence Industry, but the question of who will approve it or which standards compliance will be required presents itself as a major equation before us.

When we come to these issues, we encounter standards particularly served to the entire world by the United States. The most common of these are MIL-STD-810G, DO-160G, MIL-STD-202G and NATO AEP-64 standards. The NATO AEP-64 standard was published by the NATO Standardization Organization. While these standards fundamentally share similarities, they contain differences regarding the intended use and location of use of the manufactured product. For example, if the product you produce will be used in an airborne system, DO-160G standard is utilized, whereas if you have designed an Electronics-Electrical system, you can access fundamental criteria from MIL-STD-202G standard. Whereas AEP-64 standard is fundamentally a standard based on the resistance of paint systems used in manufactured products against chemical agents, MIL-STD-810G standard is based on engineering approaches that consider all laboratory tests for defence industry equipment produced in the Defence Industry. For complete understanding, the standards and their main definitions are provided below.

MIL-STD-810G: ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS AND LABORATORY TESTS

MIL-STD-202G: TEST METHOD STANDARD ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENT PARTS

NATO AEP-64: PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR PAINT SYSTEM, RESISTANCE TO CHEMICAL AGENTS AND DECONTAMINANTS, FOR THE PROTECTION OF LAND MILITARY EQUIPMENT

 

DO-160G: ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND TEST PROCEDURES FOR AIRBORNE EQUIPMENT

  Now that we have identified the standards, it comes down to selecting a test laboratory. We can answer the question of what path we need to follow as follows. The method followed worldwide is as follows: International accredited test laboratories serve as the arbiters between manufacturer and consumer. Laboratory accreditation is defined according to EN ISO/IEC 17025-2017 version. To possess this accreditation, which is issued for 4 years and monitored with annual interim inspections, requires the establishment of a genuine quality system, provision of appropriate laboratory conditions, possession of test operators with necessary knowledge and training, and implementation of independence and confidentiality principles. This accreditation is granted to legal entities that meet all these criteria. Accreditation truly involves a very intensive work tempo and challenges including the establishment and operation of a compliant quality system, training, maintenance of test equipment, interim controls, calibration requirements, and measurement uncertainty studies. However, this is a requirement of the profession, what needs to be done, and exactly what manufacturers need. Most manufacturing companies conduct similar tests in laboratories within their own quality departments. However, to ensure results and evaluate their own test laboratory, all manufacturers are recommended to work in coordination with accredited laboratories. Because the goal here should be to identify problems that may arise during the product's R&D phase, preventing the brand and company from suffering economic loss when the product reaches the market. The accelerated tests performed in laboratories are recognized by authorities to produce results very close to reality, if not at a 100% rate. Particularly in recent years, extremely sophisticated test equipment developed successfully represents applicability to natural conditions.

Problems that may emerge 5-10 years later in nature—these devices and accelerated environmental aging tests provide information to manufacturers from many aspects such as material, coating, and design selection. Our laboratory stands as an extremely qualified and competent center serving in this field in our country.

In this article, readers will be provided with detailed information about MIL-STD-810G standard, which is the most intensively supported and used among the standards written above. Examining and understanding this standard truly takes a long time. One of its best aspects is the possibility of accessing this standard free of charge on the internet. The letters accompanying all standards, for example G, are information indicating which edition the standard is and in what year it was updated. Of course, it is beneficial to periodically check the internet to always examine the most current version of each standard, as at times all standards are opened for revision by the relevant organizations and revisions are again conducted by experts in the field and republished. One of the best aspects of MIL-STD-810G standard is that regardless of what you produce, it contains comprehensive information on which environmental conditions to consider in general. Whether you are producing parts or equipment for aircraft, an electronic system, or land vehicles, you can examine all test standards containing detailed information based on the region where this system will be used across the entire world geography, and in the engineering phase, you can possess extensive information regarding which parameters you should work by. One of the most important aspects of this is that it serves a key function in enabling planning departments to take a more conscious approach to the main construction information they will use according to these preferences in the R&D phase (which metal or which type of plastic) or the coating models they will apply to these constructions. These choices are also a correspondence to the desired lifespans and resistances they will demonstrate in tests. In the MIL-STD-810G standard, information about many test requirements that I provide below is contained. These test requests are:

As you can see, a combination of approximately 29 tests is involved. So how do we answer the question of which tests we need to select? We can answer as follows. First, as I wrote above, help can be sought from relevant standards by subject, for example if you will be in production for an airborne system, DO-160G can provide you with information.

In the R&D phase, when you imagine what conditions your product will be exposed to, you can select appropriate ones from the 29 tests you see above and begin work with laboratory tests within factory capabilities. You can then guarantee your results with accredited laboratories. Of course, in this standard, laboratory tests are divided according to the climate information to which the product will be exposed, as I mentioned earlier. If I need to provide brief information about these climates, in Table-1 all regions of the world are divided climatically, in Table-2 the coldest, and in Table-3 the hottest values have been determined and presented as a result of long studies. As you will see, climatic differences definitely affect manufactured products.

On the other hand, another benefit of the 810G standard is that it has been prepared by considering the probabilities to which all products will be exposed during storage, operation and transportation. I need to mention as additional information only that you may not see clear information about test durations in this standard.

Only recommendations are present. Information regarding test durations is determined based on discussions to be held with main contractor companies, their requests, and product characteristics. It will be useful to mention this as well. As the most important exposure factors in environmental testing, we can list climate (hot-cold effects), humidity, sun (solar radiation), sea, pressure, vibration, and chemical contact effects. In conclusion, I hope this article, containing brief but concise information, will form the basis of knowledge for all Defence Industry companies wishing to manufacture in our country, support them in understanding developments, and help contribute to the spread of this emerging production wave. Accredited laboratories like ours will continue at all times to guide our manufacturers wishing to engage in technological production and develop these products, supporting these manufacturers in international markets with test reports that are required by them and valid throughout the world. Tuncay Katırcı Chemical Engineer Laboratory Director Metaltek Teknoloji Laboratuvarı     Sources 1- MIL-STD-810G standard: Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests. 2- MIL-STD-202G standard: Test Method Standard Electronic and Electrical Component Parts. 3- NATO AEP-64 standard: Performance Requirements For Paint System, Resistance To Chemical Agents and Decontaminants, For the Protection of Land Military Equipment. 4- DO-160G standard: Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures For Airborne Equipment.