The battlefield of today is constantly evolving. Incredible advancements in technology not only put more options into the hands of soldiers but fundamentally change how war is carried out. To keep pace, aerospace and defense (A&D) systems must be designed and manufactured to incorporate both advanced technology and adaptability to respond to constantly evolving battlefield tactics. Those who succeed enable their militaries to handle unpredictable threats on the battlefield. However, the pace of change is stunningly rapid, as is painfully visible to the public in modern conflicts. At Benchmark, we help our A&D customers respond by leveraging our 40 years of defense experience and tracking design, engineering, and manufacturing trends to help developers ensure their future A&D systems succeed in the most challenging environments. Creating A&D systems that can evolve in real-time reduces the need for soldiers to respond with makeshift solutions during battle.
Trend #1: Miniaturization and Mobility
A&D equipment and systems require more functionality and performance, yet must come in smaller form factors to be fit into more versatile and mobile systems on the battlefield. Design and manufacturing teams at Benchmark strive to develop practical solutions for the production line to meet demanding performance requirements for applications such as electronic warfare (EW), intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance (ISR), and secure communications.
Achieving miniaturization and enhanced mobility requires engineering expertise in a wide variety of disciplines because of deeply integrated technologies that often cross the boundaries of physical domains. For example, compact Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UASs) require extremely compact flight control systems, cameras, motors, batteries, and payloads. Integration is no longer limited to smaller circuits integrated onto a die and placed onto a PCB, but the melding of mechanical, electrical, and optical systems into one another. Examples include Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), which use existing semiconductor fabrication technology to produce microscopic mechanical systems with advanced capabilities, such as miniature atomic clocks, chip-scale photonics, which incorporate optics into chips, and advanced composite materials that combine superior durability and insulation, allowing designers to both shrink the size and improve performance in the field. These approaches push the boundaries of physics by forcing electrical, mechanical, and optical technologies into incredibly constrained spaces. These cutting-edge approaches require a designer’s awareness of the increasing number of tradeoffs, such as computing power, thermal load, weight, cost, and ease of manufacturing and support.
Benchmark’s creative use of advanced materials, processes, and innovative engineering approaches makes miniaturized, highly mobile A&D solutions possible and practical without sacrificing performance. We offer mixed and hybrid assembly capabilities, deep experience in microelectronics, and proven skill with miniaturizing optical assemblies. Innovation often requires creative ideas and deep collaboration between our engineering teams and customers as part of our standard product realization process. One example of Benchmark’s ability to deliver is our development of a chip-scale atomic clock.
Trend #2: Growing Interoperability of Complex Systems
As we discussed above, functionality and performance are vital. However, the more features and functions added, the more complexity is created. Complexity naturally creates more opportunities for failure and challenges with data management. A complex system mishandling data will amplify even small errors as information moves up the system hierarchy. Success on the battlefield requires seamless interoperability of those A&D systems, regardless of their current state. Ensuring these complex systems are robust starts at the conceptualization and design stage. For example, secure communications among airborne and land forces must be highly dependable to protect both forces from attacks. Communications systems must operate consistently across assigned frequency ranges, modulation formats, and transmit power levels, even in hostile environments with high-level jammers and huge “spectral clutter.” Diverse systems must also collaborate effectively so that signals from one system do not interfere with the operation of another communications system.
Establishing interoperability among diverse A&D systems requires high-level design approaches and high-performance manufacturing methods. Perhaps more importantly, however, Defense technology providers need effective test and measurement strategies and the equipment and experience required to apply those tools to evaluate the interoperability of A&D systems. By assembling sophisticated test systems and harnessing the automated long-term repeatability possible with AI and robotic testing, Benchmark backs its design and manufacturing strategies for highly interoperable A&D systems with advanced test gear. Their measurement systems can deliver consistent, repeatable results for large numbers of measurements to provide the copious amounts of data needed for detecting anomalies and performance inconsistencies, leading to system interoperability issues.
Ultimately, allowing aggregate systems between military branches and different militaries to function together requires collaboration between multinational experts to develop more standardization. Open system architectures, including Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA™) and Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), are already used in modern systems. Defense contractors and their manufacturers are responsible for ensuring products meet whatever DI standards the application requires.
In the end, complexity is a natural byproduct of growing capabilities. Experienced developers can help create systems that meet data interoperability (DI) expectations. Creating and manufacturing defense systems requires a larger list of requirements and standards that ensure system integration and DI. Benchmark has developed products that have served all U.S. military branches, including modular solutions that meet SOSA and MOSA, helping you ensure your product meets all DI standards.
Trend #3: Retrofit/Integration of Newer Technologies into Legacy Systems
The evolution of technology across every domain creates the opportunity to redevelop military assets, such as bombers, destroyers, tanks, and soldiers’ equipment, from the ground up. However, increasing technological complexity means much longer development cycle times. Militaries are responding by extending the life of older, legacy systems, creating add-ons to modernize them. Examples of this include the F-16 Viper (F-16V), a modernized F-16 with an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system (the APG-83). This new system is attached to the aircraft's exterior and included in its advanced avionics suite. AESA gives the aircraft enhanced situational awareness and improved targeting capabilities under all weather conditions. The AESA radar is fully compatible with the aircraft’s other A&D systems, forming an incredibly integrated and comprehensive EW suite.
Another example is the M2 Bradley. After being used extensively in modern, asymmetrical warfare, the Bradley has been exposed to various attacks from UASs. The rapid evolution of UAS tactics on the battlefield has forced troops and defense providers to iterate new solutions rapidly. Examples include the Army’s new Iron Fist active protection system, which detects incoming rounds using infrared and radar and responds by shooting them down with counter munitions. The system effectively counters drone attacks and can detect them up to a mile away to prepare a response, acting as an effective counter-UAS (C-UAS) system.
The ability to develop and deploy new technology in the form of add-ons is a key trend defining the modern battlefield. These add-ons must integrate well into the vehicle's existing systems, be intuitive to use, and not burden the vehicle with too much weight or power. Benchmark designs for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) by considering this at the beginning of the design process, and has deep experience with complex system integration and system build. One example is the Mobile Vehicle Surveillance System with Radar (MVSS-R), which was designed and built by Benchmark to fit onto many consumer-type trucks that are much smaller than competing designs, can be deployed and stored in a fraction of the time, and has been ruggedized to ensure full functionality in harsh environments.
As the battlefield continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the ability to adapt quickly and intelligently is no longer optional—it’s essential. From miniaturization and mobility to interoperability and legacy system integration, modern aerospace and defense systems trends demand a new level of engineering ingenuity and manufacturing precision. Benchmark stands at the forefront of this transformation, helping A&D innovators bring advanced, reliable, and agile solutions to life. By combining deep technical expertise with collaborative product realization processes, we empower our customers to meet the demands of today’s conflicts and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. The future of defense is being built now—and Benchmark is proud to help lead the way.
