If you need a case tough enough to handle a variety of extremes, military cases can be a good option to consider. At Bel-Air Cases, our heavy duty shipping cases can handle hundreds of journeys, under the roughest conditions, with ease.
What Are Military Cases?
In general, when we talk about military cases we are talking about cases that are built in compliance with specific MIL specs, or military specifications. These are detailed standards developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure products meet specific performance and durability requirements for military use.
When it comes to custom equipment cases, MIL specs define the criteria the case must meet in areas such as construction, durability, environmental resistance, and performance under harsh conditions.
Here are key points related to MIL specs for custom equipment cases:
- Durability and Strength: MIL specs ensure that equipment cases can withstand rough handling, impact, and high stress during military operations, including shipping and transport.
- Environmental Resistance: MIL specs test the ability of cases to resist extreme weather, humidity, saltwater, and temperature fluctuations, as well as protection against dust, water, and other environmental hazards.
- Vibration and Shock Resistance: The cases must pass tests for withstanding vibrations from transportation (aircraft, land vehicles) and sudden shocks (drops, impacts).
- Chemical Resistance: Cases need to be resistant to various chemicals, including fuels and cleaning agents, that they may encounter in military environments.
Compliance Examples:
- MIL-STD-810: Covers environmental conditions, like temperature, humidity, and shock testing.
- MIL-STD-2073: Deals with packaging requirements for military shipping, ensuring the cases protect the contents in transit.
Custom equipment cases built to MIL specs offer extra assurance for those needing top-tier protection, especially for sensitive or valuable equipment. While we’ve designed and built heavy duty cases for military clients many times through the years, cases built to MIL specs can be a good option for many of our civilian clients.
We also can create an ATA shipping case that meets ATA standards. ATA case standards are guidelines set by the Air Transport Association (now Airlines for America) for cases used in air travel. These standards ensure that cases can withstand the rigors of frequent air transportation, protecting the contents from damage during handling, loading, and unloading.
ATA Case Standards: Some Key Points
- Durability: ATA-rated cases must endure frequent shipping, handling, and stacking.
- Construction: Typically, these cases are made from materials like high-density plastics, aluminum, or laminated plywood, with reinforced edges and corners.
- Impact Resistance: ATA cases are designed to withstand drops, impacts, and other rough handling common in cargo and freight transport.
ATA Standards Vs. MIL Specs
- Purpose: ATA standards are focused on air travel durability, whereas MIL specs are developed for military use, often requiring more extreme environmental and operational durability.
- Environmental Conditions: MIL specs typically involve more stringent requirements for withstanding harsh environments (extreme temperatures, water resistance, chemical exposure), while ATA standards prioritize impact resistance and structural integrity for frequent air transport.
- Vibration and Shock: Both standards require cases to endure vibration and shock, but MIL specs often involve more severe testing to ensure survival in combat or field conditions.
- Testing: MIL specs, such as MIL-STD-810, include a wider range of tests (environmental, chemical, etc.), while ATA standards focus more on transportation-specific durability like impacts and crushing.
In short, ATA cases are designed for commercial air travel, while military cases are built for more extreme and demanding military applications. Whether you need a case built to ATA standards or a case that matches MIL specs, the team at Bel-Air Cases can provide you with cargo cases that meet your needs and protect your expensive equipment.
Why Bel-Air Cases?
At Bel-Air, we’ve been designing custom equipment cases for more than 50 years, and we are the original innovator of vacuum-formed plastic cases. Our level of experience is unmatched, and through the years, we’ve designed custom carrying cases, shipping cases and trade show cases for every imaginable industry and type of equipment.
In addition to military cases, we can provide you with any type of equipment case or flight case you might need including:
- Aerospace Equipment Cases
- Custom Road Cases
- Trade Show Cases
- Lighting Cases
- Audio-Visual Equipment Cases
- Medical Equipment Cases
- Custom Instrument Cases
- OEM Cases & Demo/Sales Kits
This is just the tip of the iceberg, as we can design cases for virtually any type of equipment and, throughout the last 50+ years, we’ve done just that. We’ve built thousands of cases, and every Bel-Air is meant to last a lifetime and many of our original cases are still going strong.
Of course, if you need padded equipment cases, every Bel-Air includes a custom foam interior built to cushion and protect your delicate items. Unlike some case manufacturers, we never simply hand off a case with cheap pick-and-pluck foam. Instead, we design fully custom interiors built around your equipment to ensure that your items are always as safe as possible during transport.
Contact Bel-Air For Rugged Military Cases
Whether you need rugged military cases or just need a shipping case that can handle hundreds of trips as cargo or freight, the team at Bel-Air Cases can design whatever you might need. We also can add wheels and handles to most cases, as well as customizing the latches and locks. Contact us at any time to discuss your case needs!