Conformal Coating and Ruggedized Engineering for Aerospace and Defense C4ISR Systems

Defense electronics are a critical element of network-centric warfare, and protecting them while they operate in harsh environments is of the utmost importance. These products and systems manufactured for aerospace and defense must meet some of the world’s most demanding standards and regulations, as they often stretch the rules of physics to achieve their goals. It allows no room for error in any process that goes into creating mission-critical equipment and devices.

Plasma Ruggedized Solutions (PRS) specializes in plasma treatments, potting and encapsulation, and parylene and conformal coating services to support these challenging applications. From space to land, sea, and air, our solutions are designed for C4ISR and C5ISR projects for the security forces of the United States and NATO, providing the protection necessary to make network-centric warfare possible. Using the highest performing materials and engineering solutions, PRS meets or exceeds requirements in protecting:

• C4ISR command, control, communications, and intelligence systems
• Drones and UAVs as C4ISR surveillance platforms
• Guided munitions and missiles in C5ISR
• Electronic warfare systems
• Space and satellite electronics
• Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)

Protecting Aerospace and Defense Electronics in Demanding Environments

Plasma Ruggedized Solutions provides advanced conformal coating, potting, encapsulation, and ruggedization services for aerospace and defense electronics that require long-term reliability in harsh operating conditions. Learn more about our conformal coating services, industries served, and certifications, or contact PRS at 408-954-8405 to discuss your application.

Serving the Toughest Aerospace and Defense Applications

PRS works with leading aerospace and defense OEMs, including Aerojet, Boeing, Raytheon, Honeywell, GD, Northrop Grumman, GE, and Lockheed Martin. Line operating devices may experience extreme temperatures and extraordinary shock and vibration, among other challenges. Given the harsh environmental threats our clients face, PRS works to determine the best conformal coating methodology and material choices for the specific application need.

What is Network-Centric Warfare?

Network-centric warfare is a theory that translates to a “system of systems”, enabled by information technology that develops a competitive advantage through computer networks. It incorporates the real-time integration of space, air, land, and sea defense assets into a single, unified digital network, compressing command decisions from days or weeks to hours. Assets on station respond the moment authorization is granted. It primarily relies on the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop, as the decision cycle that accelerates beyond adversary capabilities.

Conformal Coating for Specialized Aerospace and Defense Applications

Underwater Vehicles and Systems Conformal Coating

Submarines, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and deep-sea defense sensors are constantly exposed to moisture, saltwater corrosion, and extreme pressure.  PRS's conformal coatings and potting solutions offer long-term protection against water intrusion, salt, and chemical damage.  Our parylene coatings deliver a uniform, pinhole-free barrier that ensures critical underwater electronics maintain functionality in submerged and high-pressure environments.  

Conformal Coating for Spacecraft and Satellite Electronics

Electronics used in space must withstand extreme thermal cycling, radiation exposure, and vacuum conditions.  PRS coatings, including Blue Spark parylene and PRS XY-C, provide proven protection against outgassing, radiation effects, and temperature extremes.  These coatings ensure mission-critical systems-from satellites to launch vehicles-meet stringent NASA, NADCAP, and AS9100 standards for reliability in space applications. 

Drones and UAV Systems Conformal Coating

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones must operate in harsh environments where dust, moisture, vibration, and temperature threaten sensitive electronics.  PRS specializes in applying conformal coatings, potting, and encapsulation to protect navigation, communication, and surveillance systems in UAVs. Our solutions extend operational reliability, making drones capable of completing missions under extreme deployment conditions. 

Conformal Coating for Missiles and Guided Munitions

Missiles, rockets, and guided munitions experience intense acceleration, vibration, and heat during launch and flight.  PRS's high-performance coatings and encapsulation materials protect circuit boards and guidance systems from these extreme stresses.  By reducing vibration impact, shielding against thermal shock, and preventing moisture intrusions, PRS ensures that missile and rocketry electronics remain mission-ready.

Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) Conformal Coating

Land, sea, and air-based remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) require electronics protection that resists shock, dust, moisture, and tampering.  PRS's conformal coatings and potting solutions safeguard advanced communications, reconnaissance, and targeting systems, allowing RPVs to perform reliably across diverse mission environments.  With ITAR-compliant and military-grade solutions, we ensure RPVs maintain peak performance in critical defense applications. 

Conformal Coating for Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems

Electronic warfare (EW) systems demand coatings that protect electronics from moisture, shock, and chemicals without degrading RF performance.  PRS applies precision-masked ITAR-compliant conformal coatings and selective potting using low-loss materials with controlled dielectric properties and tight thickness tolerances to preserve antenna patterns, impedance, and signal integrity. 

Network-Centric Warfare Conformal Coating

Operating across land, sea, air, and space, network-centric warfare conformal coating allows the electronics that make this system possible to operate without failure in the harshest environments on earth and in space. From moisture, shock, and chemicals, PRS supplies conformal coating and ruggedization to protect all of the electronics utilized in network-centric warfare operations.

What is C4ISR and C5ISR?

These frameworks are described as the technological, communication, and data-gathering backbone of military operations. C4ISR and C5ISR cover the following aspects of defense applications:

While drones and UAVs are considered part of the C4ISR framework, guided munitions are C5ISR devices.

Benefits of PRS’s Conformal Coating Services

Conformal coatings provide a uniform, pinhole-free circuit board coating that allows for complete protection from moisture and impact. Our NADCAP, AS9100, and NASA-certified conformal coating services meet FDA requirements and military specifications. Some advantages of our conformal coating process include:

• Advanced thin film applications (angstrom level) compared to other coating processes
• Excellent mechanical and thermal-resistant coating materials
• Water, chemical, and corrosion-resistant properties
• Reduces vibration effect for circuit boards

We have the experience and engineering expertise to provide plasma treatments, potting and encapsulation, and conformal coating services to keep systems operating in challenging environments. Our services include conformal coating removal and stripping to rework assemblies and restore failed devices.

Conformal Coating Application Processes for Aerospace and Defense

Our capabilities include a range of industry-certified and regulated conformal coating services. We choose an optimal coating method for your application’s requirements to deliver a consistent, smooth conformal coating that protects against moisture and impact. Below are some specific application processes that achieve high-quality conformal coating results:

• Brush coating
• Dip coating
• Spray coating
• Vapor deposition

Aerospace and Defense Plasma Treatments

Plasma desmear and etch-back PCB treatment services remove the residues left behind following circuit board manufacturing drilling processes. These treatments ensure circuit reliability in PCBs by promoting good electrical contact between their interconnects and copper through-plating. Additional benefits of plasma treatments include:

• Safe & environmentally friendly materials
• Does not create hazardous waste
• By-products are 100% safe for disposal

Potting and Encapsulation for Aerospace and Defense

This process encapsulates an electronic assembly with a compound to protect the components from shock, vibration, corrosion, and contaminants. With potting and encapsulation, electronic assemblies can resist dust, moisture, and chemical contamination, as well as security threats, including tampering and reverse engineering. Added features include:

• Enhanced circuit reliability
• Protection against voltage arcs & short circuits
• Prevents the formation of tin whiskers

Additional Conformal Coating Services for Drones and Smart Munitions

PRS offers a range of coating solutions engineered explicitly for drones and smart munitions. We can perform a number of services to resist moisture and impact damage, protecting these critical defense systems from dust, sand, salt, water, and mold.

Drones are classified as a C4ISR surveillance and reconnaissance device. PRS specializes in conformal coating for drone defense electronics and can provide potting and encapsulation services to your specifications. For guided smart munitions, a C5ISR device, we offer our core services of potting and encapsulation, plasma treatments, and conformal coating.

PRS Quality Certifications for Conformal Coating Services

At Plasma Ruggedized Solutions, we ensure that your conformal coating provider meets industry production and safety standards while offering you the highest quality products available.

PRS complies with NADCAP, NASA, AS9100, ISO 9001:2008, COMSEC, ITAR, RoHS, and FIPS. These certifications indicate that we adhere to strict industry standards in our conformal coating, potting and encapsulation, underfill, and plasma treatment processes.

We use low-VOC materials and environmentally friendly treatments, cleaning, and disposal processes to make operations as “green” as possible. Through our sustainable processes, we have reduced single-use materials by 20% and rely on 95% recycled metals in our manufacturing processes.

Conformal Coating Cleanroom Capabilities

PRS features two Class 10 ISO-2 cleanrooms for all processing. Our facilities are practically cleanrooms themselves, with air filtration to 20,000 ppm. All parts are inspected, cleaned upon arrival, and baked to remove excess moisture. A critical engineering and service feature is our proprietary plasma etch-back or surface treatment to ensure maximum coating material adhesion.

Proprietary Formulated Materials for Conformal Coating

Plasma Ruggedized offers a unique arrangement of RoHS, REACH-compliant, UL-compliant, and ISO 10993-compliant coating solutions based on your industry needs. Our conformal coatings, such as the Blue Spark™ Parylene Dimer, offer a high-performance film visible in UV light for convenient inspection while yielding excellent chemical, electrical, and physical properties. Our Parylene C Dimer, PRS XY-C™ Dimer, presents the same high-performance, high-purity characteristics as Blue Spark™ without the added UV tracer material.

Additionally, we offer our Kryptos-17™ Epoxy Resin Potting Material for operational protection with a better-finished product and greater reliability than other electronic potting materials. Our line of underfill materials, including state-of-the-art Kronos-10™, protects your PCBs from the thermal dissipation of BGA, LGA, and other like componentry that create and emit significant heat signatures.

Aerospace and Defense Conformal Coating Case Study

For a closer look at PRS’ aerospace and defense coating capabilities, review our Aerospace Conformal Coating Case Study. This case study highlights how PRS helped solve conformal coating migration issues for aerospace circuit boards using chemical blocking and masking techniques.

Contact Plasma Ruggedized Solutions for Conformal Coating and Parylene Services

Plasma Ruggedized Solutions can provide engineering expertise as a leader in conformal coating services, as well as potting and encapsulation for aerospace and defense products. You can learn more about the importance of parylene and its relevance to the defense industry in our whitepapers. To discuss your questions, contact us or request a quote to begin.