MIL-STD-810D Environmental Military Testing

Certification testing to MIL-STD-810D can be a daunting process. As one of the leading environmental test labs in the country, our team has developed a streamlined process. We guide customers from the test program to the test report, expediting the compliance testing experience.

With dozens of test chambers, multiple shakers, and unmatched custom engineering capabilities, we are able to offer short lead times on scheduling. Our pricing is affordable and with an ISO-17025 accredited quality program, our test reports are recognized and accepted throughout the world.

Contact us to see why so many manufacturers partner with Keystone Compliance.

The remainder of this page provides an overview of the MIL-STD-810-D testing standard.

What is the Purpose of MIL-STD 810D?

MIL-STD-810D was the first version of the standard to require more careful attention to environments throughout the development process. A course of action for determining and assessing the environments to which an item will be exposed during its service life was added.

With this revision, each individual method was revised to encourage more accurate determination of the environmental stresses that an equipment will encounter during its service life. Guidance for accelerated or aggravated testing during the design process is included in some cases.

What are the Test Conditions of Military Standard 810D testing?

Despite the modifications, this MIL 810 standard still has limitations. MIL-810D does not address a number of tests. For instance, electromagnetic interference (EMI), lightning and magnetic effects, nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon’s effects are not considered.

In addition to those types of test procedures, there are also other limitations. For instance, piece parts, such as bolts, wires, transistors and integrated circuits are not included. Neither are tests of basic materials and certain aspects of the safety testing of munitions, such as rough handling tests.

The MIL-810 lab test standard includes a number of key definitions. Below is a brief summary of some of those descriptions.

A MIL-810 accelerated test is a test designed to shorten the test time by increasing the frequency or duration of environmental stresses that would be expected to occur during field use.

An aggravated test is a test in which one or more conditions are set at a more stressful level than the test item will encounter in the field in order to reduce test time, reduce sample sizes or assure a margin of safety.

A forcing function is a climatic or mechanical environmental input to an item of equipment that affects its design, service life or ability to function. This is also referred to as an environmental condition or an environmental stress.

An induced environment is a local environmental condition that is predominantly man-made or equipment-generated. Also refers to any internal condition that results from the combination of natural forcing functions and the physical / chemical characteristics of the equipment.

Life Cycle History is the time history of events and conditions associated with an item of equipment from its release from manufacturing to its ultimate removal from service.

The life cycle should include the various phases that an item will encounter in its life, such as: handling, shipping and store prior to use; mission profiles while in use; phases between missions, such as stand-by or storage, transfer to and from repair sites and alternate locations; and geographical locations of expected deployment.

A platform is any vehicle, surface or medium that carries equipment. For example, an aircraft is the carrying platform for internally installed avionics equipment and externally mounted stores. The land is the platform for a ground radar set, and a man for a hand-carried radio. 

Platform environment is the environmental conditions an equipment experiences as a result of being attached to or loaded onto a platform. The platform environment is a result of forcing functions induced or modified by the platform and any on-board environmental system.

Keystone Compliance Provides Expert MIL-STD-810 Compliance Testing Services

Keystone Compliance is a leader in the testing of military applications and aerospace products. Our scope of accreditation includes all versions of MIL-STD-810. This document covers MIL-STD-810B. For more information about the other versions of this military standard, please click on one of the links below:

As an ISO-17025 accredited test lab, Keystone Compliance is accredited to complete a full MIL-STD-810 test program. Our test facility includes nearly 10 EMC test chambers, several shakers, dozens of climatics chambers and other necessary equipment.

We take a consultative approach and assist our customers throughout the entire test program. If failures arise, we assist in isolating them and finding potential solutions. Contact us to see why so many manufacturers partner with Keystone Compliance.

In addition to environmental testing, Keystone Compliance also has a full scope of EMC/EMI lab testing. Please visit our EMC website to learn more about our capabilities including shielding effectiveness, ESD, lightning, HEMP and many other types of EMC testing. We are also an ISTA-accredited package testing lab. We offer full package testing capabilities including testing to ISTA and ASTM standards.

The MIL-STD-810 test specification includes the following test methods and sections. For more information on each type of testing, please click on the associated links.