Is Your Radar Cool Enough? 

 Liquid-Flow-Through (LFT) in VPX Chassis

Posted by Laura B
July 07, 2025





 

Keeping Radar Cool: The Power of Liquid-Flow-Through (LFT) in VPX Chassis

Modern defence systems aren’t just smarter - they’re hotter. Literally. Radar systems, electronic warfare, signal intelligence - anything that pushes power density in a small space needs some serious consideration when it comes to temperature control.

With ever-increasing demands for higher resolution, faster processing, and real-time situational awareness, today’s radar electronics are pushing the limits of thermal management. That’s where Liquid-Flow-Through (LFT) cooling in a VPX chassis comes in.

Whether you're working on airborne, ground-based, or shipborne radar, effective cooling is key to reliability, performance, and mission success. Liquid cooling is becoming the go-to solution for the latest defence applications.

Why Radar Systems Are a Thermal Nightmare

Radar systems today use cutting-edge FPGAs, DSPs, GPUs, and high-power RF components - all packed into a compact space. The result? High thermal density, with some components easily exceeding 100W per slot. This isn’t something a couple of fans can handle any more. Fans have limits - especially when your VPX system is running at full tilt in a sealed or constrained environment like UAVs, armoured vehicles, or submarines. In mission-critical environments, especially where air is scarce or full of dust and debris, or when convection cooling just isn’t enough, relying on air cooling alone is a recipe for throttling, failures, and maintenance headaches.

Why VPX?

The VPX standard is a modular, high-speed backplane architecture designed for rugged, high-performance embedded computing, which is exactly what radar systems need. It supports fast interconnects, high power delivery, and robust mechanical designs suitable for harsh environments., VPX provides the bandwidth, power, and flexibility that modern radar platforms demand. whether it’s processing radar returns in microseconds or routing massive data streams between FPGAs.

Liquid-Flow-Through technology integrates cold plates directly into the VPX modules and chassis. Coolant (typically water or some sort of dielectric fluid) is pumped through these cold plates, soaking up heat from the electronics and taking it away to a heat exchanger or radiator.

Unlike air, liquid has massively superior thermal conductivity, meaning it can handle the intense heat radar systems generate reliably and efficiently. It’s also a lot quieter than air cooled fan solutions.
 

Real-World Use Cases

• Ground-based AESA radar systems with high channel counts and dense signal processing.
• Airborne surveillance radar where size and airflow are limited but thermal loads are high.
• Naval radar suites requiring rugged, sealed enclosures and 24/7 uptime.
• Mobile radar units deployed in dusty, high-temperature regions where air cooling isn't practical.

As radar technology continues to evolve, so must the infrastructure that supports it. Liquid-Flow-Through cooling in VPX systems isn't just about staying cool - it's about enabling the next generation of radar capabilities.

If you're designing the next-gen system that has to deliver serious horsepower in a tight space, LFT might just be your secret weapon. Fortunately, our partner Annapolis is on the ball and has designed a rugged 13 slot liquid-cooled 3U OpenVPX chassis. The WC34D0 is a 100Gb Ethernet-enabled COTS 3U VPX Chassis, Backplane, and Chassis Manager.

It includes two HD Switch slots that feature high-density VITA 91 connectors with double the available density, up to 64 lanes of Ethernet or PCIe or 128 LVDS pairs. The two HD switch slots allow the WC31DH Chassis to handle all Data and Control Plane Ethernet via one slot, with the second switch slot dedicated to the expansion plane – Ethernet, PCIe and/or LVDS. This is ideal for low latency jamming or radar applications.

It is VITA 65 compliant, SOSA-aligned, and designed and built in USA.
 

The Key Benefits for Radar Systems Thermal Performance That Matches Processing Power Radar signal processing happens fast and hot. Whether you're tracking multiple targets, filtering out noise, or rendering 3D imagery, LFT ensures your processors can operate at full tilt without thermal throttling or overheating. Higher System Uptime and Reliability Radar installations are often in harsh or remote environments - deserts, offshore platforms, aircraft bays etc. With LFT cooling, you reduce the thermal stress on critical components, meaning fewer failures, longer life cycles, and less time spent on field maintenance. Quiet, Clean Cooling in Enclosed Spaces Unlike air-cooled systems that rely on fans and vents, LFT operates within a sealed chassis - a major advantage in environments where air quality is poor or where acoustic stealth is important (e.g., naval and surveillance applications). Simplified Thermal Design at the System Level With LFT, you don't need complex airflow ducting or chassis-wide heat sinks. This opens up flexibility in how and where you mount your radar electronics - ideal for modular, scalable designs and retrofits.