Lightweight Composite Panels for HEMP Protection of Fixed and Mobile NC3 Systems

Wing Command Posts (WCPs) and Mobile Support Teams (MSTs) are critical Nuclear, Command, Control, and Communication (NC3) nodes that utilize communications systems for emergency action messaging.These structures and their power sources require protection from High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) in accordance with MIL-STD-188-125 or MIL-STD-2169C to maintain operability in a HEMP environment.Significant advances in materials technology and manufacturing are enabling structural composite materials with decreased weight and increased electromagnetic (EM) shielding performance.Engineered composites based on EM performance modeling can offer improved insertion loss, frequency bandwidth, and performance over incidence angle, compared to traditional fixed and mobile structural materials.The Luna team is developing a HEMP protective, mechanically robust and lightweight composite shielding barrier kit that can replace current heavy, bulky, or inadequate shielding approaches for WCPs and MSTs.During the Phase I, Luna screened several conductive and magnetic shielding materials for HEMP level shielding capability and characterized their performance for incorporation into full composite panel solutions.Two composite panel designs were fabricated and demonstrated to meet the HEMP shielding requirements.Phase II will include prototype enclosure fabrication, validation, and commercial production scale-up.