Case Studies
MIL-SPEC Commander's Interface Handheld
A defense prime contractor needed a field-ready handheld for command-layer situational awareness — one that commercial off-the-shelf devices had consistently failed to deliver.
The Challenge
A defense systems integrator needed a field-ready handheld for command-layer situational awareness — a device capable of operating at -40C, surviving 1.8m drops onto concrete, tolerating full immersion, and maintaining encrypted communications in a congested RF environment. Commercial off-the-shelf devices had been evaluated and rejected.
The program had a hard delivery milestone tied to a government contract. The prime needed a partner with enough systems integration depth to own hardware, firmware, and security simultaneously.
Ankh was engaged after the prime's initial hardware partner was unable to demonstrate a viable path to MIL-STD-810H certification. We inherited the program with no usable existing design assets.
Our Approach
Technical Due Diligence & Architecture
Ankh's team began with a three-day technical review with the prime's systems engineering group, mapping interface requirements against the program's interface control document. We produced an architecture assessment within five days identifying key risks: thermal management at the display assembly, antenna placement constraints imposed by the magnesium chassis, and FIPS 140-3 compliance requirements. The architecture was locked before any hardware design began.
Electronics & Enclosure Design
The main board was designed for -40C to +70C operation, with ceramic capacitors throughout and temperature-compensated oscillators on all timing-critical nets. The enclosure was designed in-house — a magnesium alloy chassis with a sealed, chemically bonded touchscreen assembly. Internal antenna placement was modelled electromagnetically to maintain RF performance with the chassis closed. Thermal modelling confirmed safe junction temperatures across the full operating range before first prototypes.
Embedded Security & Firmware
Secure boot was implemented using a hardware root of trust, with chain-of-trust validation at every boot stage. The communications stack supported simultaneous 4G LTE and 802.11ax operation with spectrum-aware band selection. Full-disk encryption and remote wipe capability were validated against the program's security requirements. Boot time from cold start was achieved in 7.4 seconds — inside the 8-second program requirement.
MIL-STD Validation & Certification
MIL-STD-810H test protocols were coordinated with an accredited test laboratory: Method 501.7 (high temperature), 502.7 (low temperature), 506.6 (rain), 512.6 (immersion), and 516.8 (shock and drop). Ankh's engineering team was on-site for all testing. The device passed all methods on first execution — a result of the upfront thermal modelling and mechanical validation.
Results
Engineering validation units were delivered on schedule, enabling the prime to meet their government contract milestone. All MIL-STD-810H test methods were passed on first execution, with no remediation required.
The device subsequently entered Low Rate Initial Production planning. The prime's program director cited Ankh's systems integration depth — spanning hardware, firmware, security, and mechanical simultaneously — as the factor that made on-schedule delivery possible.