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DEFENCE · STANDARDS

What Is MIL-STD-1275?

MIL-STD-1275 defines the 28 V DC electrical power characteristics on military ground vehicles, including the voltage spikes, surges, ripple and starting dips that onboard equipment must tolerate to run reliably from the vehicle supply.

01

The Short Answer

MIL-STD-1275 specifies the 28 V DC power environment inside a military ground vehicle. Vehicle power is far from clean: engine cranking, alternator behaviour and switching loads produce surges, spikes and ripple well beyond a steady 28 V. The standard defines those disturbances so equipment can be designed to ride through them.

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    Starting disturbance The voltage dip as the engine cranks.
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    Surge Sustained over-voltage above nominal.
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    Spike Brief, high-amplitude transients.
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    Ripple Continuous AC content on the DC supply.
02

Why It Matters

An in-vehicle computer specified for a military platform needs a power input that meets, or is protected to, MIL-STD-1275, otherwise transients on the vehicle supply can reset or damage it. It is the ground-vehicle counterpart to MIL-STD-704 for aircraft.

See our overview of U.S. military standards (MIL-STDs) for how this fits alongside the others.