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MILITARY, AEROSPACE & DEFENCE


INDUSTRY FOCUS


Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier and the next generation of the Royal Navy’s fleet, such as the Type 26 frigate. In fact the QE Class aircraft carrier and


Type 26 frigate are the most recent naval applications to present MPE with further specific mechanical demands. QE Class vessels required that EMC filter units


be installed to filter the power supplies entering Black leakage path equipment within onboard TEMPEST compartments. In total MPE supplied 66 filters of ten different designs. These filters ranged from 6A to 63A and included both single- phase and three-phase variants from MPE’s low- leakage performance ranges. Each filter was also mechanically customised with a bespoke earth stud design to suit the application. The Type 26 frigate currently under


construction has similar needs for TEMPEST filters and, in response, MPE has developed and is supplying further customised filters variants for this platform.


and unique requirement develop in the last two years. That comprises TEMPEST protection filters with ‘floating earth’ and low-leakage properties. TEMPEST is a code name considered to


cover the protection of equipment systems and facilities against the interception of data signals by an enemy’s intelligence services. To mitigate against the risk of such ‘electronic eavesdropping’ of conducted signals on copper or aluminum cables and wires, protection filters with suitable frequency spectrum insertion loss performance are utilised. As an example, the UK Naval TEMPEST


Acquaint (TAC) document specifies that protection filters must have a minimum insertion loss performance of 60dB across 100kHz to 1GHz. Such filters are installed at the boundary of the physically protected (Red) zone and the non- secure (Black) zone. Since the early 2000’s, the SDIP series of TEMPEST specifications has been adopted inside NATO. Naval applications with TEMPEST protection


are now increasingly common and can typically include briefing rooms, radio rooms, electronic warfare hubs and command-and-control locations. Accordingly, in 2017, MPE developed a range of TEMPEST protection filters specifically for installation within such naval applications. The new range of filters comprises high- performance two-, three- and four-wire variants


with low line-to-earth current leakage. The filters support system and equipment compliance with the overarching requirements of NATO TEMPEST SDIP-27 and SDIP-29 Standards and provide high levels of attenuation across the full frequency spectrum. They meet the line capacitance limitations of DEF-STAN 59-411 and MIL-STD-461 and are designed to be compatible with a ship’s integral DC leakage detection systems. The new range of TEMPEST protection


filters include models from 16A through to 125A, providing high levels of attenuation from 100kHz right up to 10GHz – and with extremely low line-to- earth leakage properties from 16.6mA down to 3.6mA. Mechanically, these filters


into the future Looking ahead, the demand for low-leakage TEMPEST filters such as MPE’s is only set to increase. Communications technologies being designed for the future require ever larger and more powerful radiating antenna and equipment systems, with such antennae further increasing the radar cross-section of platforms. Defence suppliers are therefore working toward solutions which consolidate such antennae into single units and integrate communications suites. Since 2009 the US


An MPE ultra-low- leakage filter


incorporate stainless steel enclosures for enhanced corrosion resistance in marine environments and are finished with high-quality epoxy paint. They have a very high resistance to shock and vibration, and are designed to have a very long service life, incorporating the same field-proven, ultra-high- reliability components as have been used for decades in MPE’s other powerline filter ranges. These ultra-low-leakage filters have already been designed into naval platforms like the


Navy, for example, has awarded over 20 contracts to develop the


integration of radar and


communications functions for future naval platforms. It is this type of integration that is certain to present increased electromagnetic


interference (EMI) issues, with systems affecting each other through electromagnetic radiation from their close proximity.


MPE T: 0151 632 9100 www.mpe.co.uk


A CCURA TE • SECURE • TRA CEABLE INDUSTRY SECTORS: DEFENCE | MEDICAL | AEROSPACE | COMMUNICATIONS | ELECTRONICS


IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION | UK-MADE SMD MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL CLOCKS 5G OSCILLATORS | MICRO-MINIATURE | OCXOs | TCXOs | VCXOs | ITAR-FREE OSCILLATORS


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See us at Engineering Design Show, Coventry Building Society Arena, October 12 & 13. Stand H4. t: +44(0)1460 230000|e: sales@euroquartz.co.uk|w: www.euroquartz.co.uk


SEPTEMBER 2022 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 47


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