Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a key battleground technology – leading suppliers such as BAE, Lockheed Martin, and Thales are integrating AI with electronic warfare (EW), applying it to autonomous air systems, mission planning, geospatial intelligence, and radar systems. This is illustrated by the upward trend in patent and defence deals over the past five years[i].
And demand for EW is expected to increase. According to GlobaData analysis[ii], the EW market, valued at US$15.4 billion in 2024, is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% and reach US$25.9 billion by 2034 – with a cumulative value of US$221.5 billion.
However, for EW AI-integrated systems to function reliably, optimal thermal management is paramount to maintaining performance in conflict situations and preserving the longevity and reliability of mission-critical operations hardware. But while AI supports EW, it increases the thermal load through higher processing requirements.
Intelligent thermal management
Comparatively, thermal management is less challenging for more conventional EW electronics, as Matthew Tarney, Global Growth Leader, Aerospace & Defense at nVent SHROFF explains: “Traditional military electronics systems are designed around a specific function, such as communication, intelligence, targeting, etc. and rely on specific electronic inputs to create a narrow, specific output for an operator. This approach uses relatively little processing power and demands limited cooling.”
As processing speeds increase through AI, and form factors shrink – driven by demand for smaller size, weight, and power (SWaP) – heat concentration becomes a variable needing more control. Furthermore, EW is increasingly expected to operate in environments with extremes of heat and cold and failure with conventional cooling systems is more likely to occur due to the inability to adapt dynamically to changing conditions.
Whilst the military is welcoming AI, it is providing challenges for developers of cooling systems. Consequently, next-generation cooling solutions for AI-enabled EW are evolving toward dynamic and responsive architectures.
“Integrating AI into defence systems allows electronics systems engineers to combine the inputs of these many different functional systems, analyse them in an AI model, and make recommendations or whole-battlespace analyses for operators in the field,” says Tarney, “However, the processing power required to capture and make sense of these vast datasets and make operational recommendations is orders of magnitude higher than discrete functional programming.”
The response has been the development of more adaptive and dynamic cooling solutions. As AI requires higher processing power, this increases thermal loads, and defence OEMs are exploring liquid cooling and two-phase systems that use phase-change materials (PCMs) to absorb and dissipate heat more efficiently than air.
As Tarney says, “This heat requires new approaches to cooling, including non-traditional techniques such as direct air flow-through (VITA 48.5) and liquid flow-through (Vita 48.4).”
These support the compact, high-wattage electronics AI requires, without introducing mechanical noise or vibration that could increase detection.
AI and R&D
AI is also changing the approach to cooling military electronics through analysis at the design and development phase. Traditional thermal modelling is slow and restricted by the designer’s capacity to discover only a few potential configurations. But AI-driven simulations can rapidly evaluate thousands of designs, effectively identifying optimal layouts for heat dissipation and airflow.
Tarney remarks, “Given enough processing power, an AI model can run this analysis in minutes compared to the hours of repeated modelling and simulation an engineer would need to spend to optimise a flow pattern manually.”
Additionally, AI tools augment machine learning, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and design algorithms to model how heat will behave under varying loads and environmental conditions.
Explains Tarney: “AI analysis has the potential to identify the optimal cooling type for specific applications and then to create an optimal cooling design for the specific board or chassis when given the layout and heat map of the system.”
Without building physical prototypes, designers can virtually evaluate configurations such as liquid cooling loops, micro-channel structures, or embedded phase-change materials. This level of automated design saves time and reveals configurations that may not be apparent to engineers.
This also improves overall energy efficiency, extending the battery life in portable or unmanned systems. As Tarney says, “If energy use is a priority for an application, AI tools can help recommend the most energy-efficient cooling architecture. This allows the design engineer to create an efficient cooling solution at the lowest possible energy consumption.”
Safeguarding electronics
As electronics systems become smaller, AI-driven, and more powerful, this demands greater thermal dissipation. New cooling approaches are required, including non-traditional cooling techniques such as direct air flow-through and liquid flow-through.
nVent SCHROFF is a leading developer of modular cooling solutions for advanced electronics, designed for mission-critical environments.
“Our engineers use advanced simulation and modelling tools to ensure that every cooling solution we design meets the requirements of our customers’ applications as efficiently as possible,” says nVent’s Tarney. “In addition, we test to rigorous international standards to ensure our cooling products meet the requirements of governments and industries around the globe.”
This is exemplified by nVent SCHROFF’s Calmark and Birtcher Card-Loks, Wedge-Loks, LHX air-to-liquid heat exchangers, and the liquid cooling portfolio which are deployed to cool advanced electronics in defence, aerospace, test and measurement, communications, and data centre markets worldwide.
Conclusion
EW warfare is developing at pace, and the application of AI in military electronics is testing conventional methods of cooling systems to the limit. However, developers such as nVent SCHROFF are meeting the challenge by creating customised designs and technologies to meet the requirements of military electronics as they evolve.
Download the free report to explore how nVent SCHROFF’s industry-leading enclosures can protect and cool high-tech military electronic systems on ships, tanks, ground control stations, aircraft and unmanned vehicles.
[i] Strategic Intelligence: Defense Predictions 2025
[ii] The Global Electronic Warfare Market Forecast 2024-2034
