White Paper: Electronics & Computers
The Critical Role of EMI Shielding in Drone and UAV Systems
SPONSORED BY: ![]()
As drones and UAVs become increasingly central to commercial, industrial, and defense operations, the electromagnetic environment in which they operate grows more complex. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) can compromise mission-critical systems, degrade performance, and pose safety risks. This whitepaper explores the technical, operational, and strategic importance of EMI shielding in UAVs and outlines how TE Connectivity’s Performance Materials delivers advanced, integrated solutions to mitigate these challenges.
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Overview
This whitepaper from TE Connectivity highlights the critical importance of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding in drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), underscoring its role in ensuring operational reliability, safety, signal integrity, and regulatory compliance across commercial, industrial, and defense applications. As the global UAV market is poised to exceed $90 billion by 2030, driven by sectors such as agriculture, logistics, infrastructure inspection, and defense ISR missions, the complexity of the electromagnetic environment continues to increase, posing challenges for sensitive avionics and communication systems.
UAVs integrate multiple electronic subsystems—including flight control systems, GPS/navigation modules, communication links, power distribution units, payload sensors (cameras, LiDAR), and motors—which are all vulnerable to internal and external EMI sources like ESCs, motors, RF modules, ground radar, and 5G networks. EMI can cause navigation errors, data corruption, loss of control, and mission-critical failures, especially in demanding operations like Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS).
TE Connectivity offers a comprehensive portfolio of EMI shielding solutions tailored to UAV applications. These include conductive tapes and foils for lightweight, flexible EMI barriers around enclosures, cables, and seams; EMI gaskets and conductive elastomers for shielding connectors, interface points, and enclosures; O-rings for environmental sealing; and shielded harnesses and tubing to maintain signal integrity. The materials used ensure low contact resistance, galvanic compatibility, durability in harsh environments (temperature extremes, moisture, vibration), and compliance with aerospace and military standards—all while prioritizing weight savings critical for flight endurance and payload capacity.
Key UAV subsystems benefit from these shielding solutions: flight control units use conductive elastomers and connector gaskets for robust EMI protection; GPS modules employ conductive tape and O-rings to preserve signal accuracy; communication systems rely on gaskets and elastomers to reduce cross-talk; power distribution components use conductive tape to suppress emissions; payload systems utilize conductive seals to preserve sensor data; and motors and actuators are shielded with tape and gaskets to prevent EMI coupling.
TE Connectivity also emphasizes early-stage EMI integration during UAV design, leveraging simulation tools, material science expertise, engineering support, and global manufacturing capabilities to co-develop optimized shielding strategies that ensure long-term durability, testing, and certification readiness.
Overall, the document positions TE Connectivity as a trusted partner delivering advanced EMI shielding materials and engineering solutions that enable the safe, reliable, and scalable deployment of next-generation UAVs across diverse commercial and defense sectors.