Taking Electronics To New Altitudes In Military Aviation

Military aviation is rewiring itself for the future, with modern aircraft ditching heavy hydraulics and pneumatics for smart electronic systems that cut weight, boost reliability, and slash maintenance costs, says Julian Thomas, Global Technology Director, TT Electronics.

The electrification of military aviation systems has roots stretching back decades, with early experimental platforms relying on electric motors and batteries for auxiliary systems. Over time, as confidence in electronics has grown, traditional hydraulic and pneumatic systems have gradually evolved into fully electronic architectures. At each stage, designers of military aircraft have leveraged emerging technologies to improve efficiency, survivability, and mission performance.

This evolution continues at a rapid pace in today’s military aviation sector, driven by operational demands for agility, stealth, and survivability, as well as the need to integrate advanced sensor suites and weapon systems. Fuel efficiency and weight reduction are significant factors, as are power-hungry mission systems such as radar, electronic warfare, and directed-energy weapons.

OEMs are increasingly making bold architectural decisions to remove legacy systems altogether, relying on advances in areas such as high-voltage distribution, redundancy, and integrated control. The rate of change, however, varies by market segment; While smaller tactical aircraft and UAVs are moving more quickly toward full electrification, larger platforms face greater technical and operational constraints.

Across the industry, however, the conclusion is the same: electrification is inevitable, its arrival determined by the size and mission profile of the aircraft.

Establishing the design engineers’ role in military aircraft electrification

The pace of this transformation will be dictated by the availability of suitably skilled design engineers, who have the opportunity to influence the future direction of electrification in military aviation. Design engineering responsibilities are multifaceted, covering a range of disciplines.

Architectural planners ensure that high-level operational requirements translate into detailed system designs. System architectures must define interfaces between avionics, propulsion, and mission systems, and ensure that all components work together seamlessly under extreme conditions. Creating the overall architecture for the aviation system requires strategic decisions that take account of existing technological capabilities and supply chain maturity. For example, can a given system be fully electrified, or should the solution define a migration path based on technology roadmaps? Military platforms often require the definition of hybrid architectures, balancing proven legacy systems with emerging high-voltage electronic solutions.

Power system design is also a critical design engineering function, encompassing generation, distribution, and control of high-voltage networks to replace traditional hydraulics. Military platforms demand fault-tolerant designs capable of withstanding combat conditions, including extreme temperatures, vibration, and shock. System parameters must maximise operational efficiency while supporting high-performance manoeuvres and sustained mission readiness. It is crucial that the system design parameters yield the lowest fuel consumption, optimal operating costs, and best performance for a specific mission. This translates into the need to ensure that electrical power delivery adapts seamlessly to the different demands of take-off, cruise, and landing, and this is the role of the mission profile optimiser.

Redundancy architects design fault-tolerant systems that exceed conventional reliability standards. Military aircraft must remain operational under damage or component failures, with backup systems ensuring mission success and crew safety.

System integration engineers bridge the gap across aviation engineering disciplines, to ensure that all systems function as a cohesive unit. The integration engineer is involved throughout the system’s lifecycle, from initial design and development to testing, integration, and maintenance. Closely linked to systems integration, the technology integration function ensures all onboard systems work together seamlessly and reliably by selecting appropriate technologies, designing interfaces, and managing integration across various subsystems. This discipline also considers safety, performance requirements, and compliance with relevant military standards and aviation.

Understanding design principles and strategies for military electrification

Electrification in military aviation demands the disciplined application of both proven design principles and forward-looking strategies.

Modular and scalable designs reduce development time and cost while allowing rapid upgrades or adaptation to different mission requirements. Modifiable Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) approaches enable OEMs to rapidly configure building blocks, reducing time to market while maintaining the benefits of customisation. Scalable platforms, meanwhile, ensure technology building blocks support multiple aircraft types, from fighter jets to UAVs and strategic bombers.

Safety, reliability, and operational resilience are paramount. Redundant architectures eliminate single points of failure and ensure multiple backup systems. Hybrid architectures allow coexistence of electrical and conventional systems temporarily or throughout the platform’s lifecycle.

Military aircraft power demands vary widely by mission phase — take-off, combat manoeuvres, and loitering each require different power levels. Mission-adaptive systems ensure that power is allocated and scaled intelligently to meet these different demands. At the same time, high-voltage power distribution architectures maximise the efficiency of power distribution. Higher voltages equate to lower power losses and reduced size and weight of cable harnesses. Military aircraft are moving toward 800–1000V architectures, with multi-kilovolt systems on the horizon to support future electric propulsion, directed-energy weapons, and advanced avionics. High-voltage architectures require rigorous design of insulation, protection, and safety measures.

Identifying the Components and Enablers for Military Electrification

The transition to electrified military platforms is enabled by a suite of technologies, including:

• High-power converters in the 1–10kW range, linking high-voltage networks to avionics, flight control, and mission systems.
• Advanced semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), enabling higher switching speeds, reduced losses, and lighter, more compact designs essential for weight-sensitive military aircraft.
• Electric motor technologies optimised for aerospace, improving power-to-weight ratios and enabling distributed propulsion for UAVs and next-generation fighters.
• Dual-range current sensing, providing precise monitoring under normal and fault conditions, supporting predictive maintenance, fault isolation, and mission readiness.
• Smart control systems managing power distribution dynamically, ensuring all systems operate efficiently even under combat or extreme conditions.
• Flexible voltage rails, allowing integration of legacy 28V systems alongside modern high-voltage networks, bridging current fleets with next-generation platforms.

Electrification Solutions

So, how will the aviation industry take electronics to new altitudes? Collaboration with electronics specialists will be key. With decades of experience working in the demanding military aviation environment, TT Electronics has established itself as a trusted partner to the industry through collaborations with leading military aircraft OEMs such as BAE Systems. Current engagements include the flagship Project Tempest program, where TT Electronics is developing advanced electrical power solutions. On a global scale, TT Electronics is actively participating in a high-profile, international initiative developing next-generation fighter platforms, alongside some of the most recognized names in the global defense industry. These collaborations provide a foundation for delivering cutting-edge technologies that enhance performance, reliability, and integration across modern military aircraft.

The company’s industry-leading portfolio of advanced technologies includes high-voltage power conversion and bi-directional power supplies, as well as advanced sensing technologies.

The Altitude DC platform, for instance, offers a scalable suite of high-power converters in the 1–10kW range.

Based on a parametric design approach, this revolutionary platform enables rapid customization, combining the flexibility of bespoke engineering with the efficiency of MOTS building blocks (Fig 1).