Why is Defense Drone Testing Important?
The Applied Technical Services Family of Companies (ATS FoC) operates a defense drone testing laboratory to help ensure defense drones meet strict military standards.
Defense drones must be reliable and perform as expected in challenging conditions. Regulatory agencies, including the Department of Defense, require comprehensive testing to confirm compliance. As a result, drones are typically subjected to environmental, mechanical, and electrical testing to ensure compliance with these standards.
How Our Defense Drone Testing Laboratory Supports Drone Compliance
Defense drone testing offers valuable insight into how drones respond to different conditions. The ATS FoC conducts testing in accordance with specific standards, including, but not limited to:
Environmental Testing: MIL-STD 810
Military drones may encounter various environmental factors that affect performance and overall lifespan. Environmental testing can help determine whether the system is durable enough to withstand extreme external conditions.
The ATS FoC can perform environmental testing to MIL-STD-810 methods, including but not limited to:
- Method 500.5 – Altitude or low pressure
- Method 501.5 – High temperature
- Method 502.5 – Low temperature
- Method 503.5 – Temperature shock
- Method 504.1 – Contamination by fluids
- Method 505.5 – Sunshine and Solar Radiation
- Method 506.5 – Rain
- Method 507.5 – Humidity
- Method 509.5 – Salt Spray/Salt Fog
- Method 510.5 – Sand and Dust
- Method 512.5 – Immersion
- Method 513.6 – Acceleration
- Method 514.6 – Vibration
- Method 516.6 – Shock
- Method 517.1 – Pyroshock
- Method 519.6 – Gunfire shock
- Method 521.3 – Icing/Freezing Rain
- Method 524.0 – Freeze/Thaw
EMI/EMC Testing: MIL-STD 461
Drones are particularly susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from both external and internal sources. Our EMI/EMC technicians can perform testing to MIL-STD 461 methods, including:
- CE101: Conducted Emissions, low frequency
- CE102: Conducted Emissions, high frequence
- RS101: Radiated Susceptibility, magnetic
- RS101: Radiated Susceptibility, electric
- RE101: Radiated Emissions, magnetic
- RE102: Radiated Emissions, electric
- CS101: Conducted Susceptibility, power leads
- CS114: Conducted Susceptibility, bulk cable injection
- CS115: Conducted Susceptibility, transient spikes
- CS116: Conducted Susceptibility, transient spikes
- CS117: Conducted Susceptibility, unintentional radiator
- CS118: Conducted Susceptibility, personnel ESD
Battery Testing: UN 38.3 & RTCA-DO
A high-performance drone battery is critical to successful operations and maximum flight time in demanding conditions. Our experts can assess a battery’s performance with environmental, mechanical, and electrical testing methods.
In addition to the above, our experts can perform battery testing to methods, including but not limited to:
- UN 38.3 – Lithium-ion Battery Safety
- RTCA DO 311a – Rechargeable Batteries
- RTCA DO 293a – NiCd, Ni-MH, Pb Batteries
- RTCA DO 227 – Non-rechargeable Batteries
About Us: How ATS Takes You from Confidence to Certainty
Since 1967, ATS has grown into a Family of Companies (FoC) that leverages our inspection, testing, and calibration expertise to help create a safer, more reliable world. The ATS FoC is dedicated to providing quality services that help you reduce costs and eliminate waste. Our defense drone testing laboratories help you move from confidence to certainty.
Our military drone testing labs can provide comprehensive testing services, including but not limited to:
- Electrical Testing
- Environmental Testing
- Dimensional Inspection
- Battery Testing
- EMI/EMC Testing
- Metallurgical Analysis
- Performance Testing
- Materials Testing (polymers and metals)
- Mechanical Testing
Our state-of-the-art labs maintain several ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditations across our organization. We also operate according to our ISO 9001:2015-registered quality management system.
Contact Us
Whether you’re looking for environmental evaluations or EMI/EMC testing, contact ATS for your defense drone testing needs. Complete our webform or call +1 (888) 287-5227 to move one step closer to certainty.
