Adhesives and Sealants for the Defence Industry

11 Aug 2026 Updated at 11 Aug 2026

Sealing solutions are required across military and defence from naval and marine applications to aircrafts to body armour and equipment. Materials need to be reliable, durable and able to perform in mission critical applications whether assembled on the production line or during field repairs.

TECHSiL have put together a short guide to adhesives for the defence industry including applications, material selection, and products to consider.

Why use adhesives for military and defence?

There has been a shift to adhesives and sealants instead of mechanical fasteners like screws, nuts, and bolts within the defence industry. This change allows for more design flexibility with adhesives offering a lightweight material which bonds a wide range of hard to bond substrates, with military specifications and environmental resistance.

Benefits of military grade adhesives include:

Weight reduction
Vibration and impact resistance
Saltwater, moisture and corrosion resistance
Oil, fuel and chemical resistance
Wide operating temperatures
Thermal conductivity and insulation
Low outgassing
Different cure times and requirements for quick field repairs even underwater
Ability to bond metals, composites, plastics and dissimilar substrates
Stress distribution
Flame retardancy

Defence industry applications:

Adhesives and sealants are suitable for use across defence engineering and related manufacturing including sensitive electronics, vital structures, and general equipment. Potential applications include:

Bonding composites for panelling and lightweight vehicles
Kevlar bonding for body armour and helmets
Light weighting solutions for drones and UAVs
Protection of naval navigation systems and avionics
Bonding land vehicle flooring and ship decking
PCB and sensor potting and encapsulation
Structural bonding
Wire and pipework sealing
Maintenance and repair
Watertight seals for subsea environments
Moisture cure for underwater repairs
Thermal management for engines
Bonding aircraft interiors and cockpits
Component assembly and thread locking for munitions and ordinance

How to choose the right adhesive

Material selection is vital to ensuring optimal performance of your adhesive or sealant especially in safety critical environments. Areas to consider include:

Material – What substrate are you bonding?

Different adhesives work best for certain substrates, not all adhesives that work for metal will work on composites or nylon. Are your substrates low surface energy or do they need specialised surface preparation.

End use environment – Where and how will the bonded/sealed part be used?

Will the material face regular impact, vibration, thermal cycling, or extreme temperatures. Does it need to protect against potential containments such as salt water or fuel. Will the bonded component be under sea level or up in space.

Special requirements – Does your application require unique properties?

This includes low outgassing materials for vacuum environments, optical clarity for screens, or certain colours to meet specifications.

Compliance – Do your materials need to meet certain regulations?

Different products have been tested to different standards, consider if your material needs to meet Mil-Spec, MOD, REACH/RoHS, or UL requirements to name a few.

Curing – Do you need to consider curing requirements of the adhesive?

If the application is an infield repair the material will need to be fast curing and be able to cure in the climate (humid, extreme heat, subsea) whereas production line assembly is more flexible. Consider curing equipment requirements like UV and heat as well as time constraints.

Other considerations

How will the material be stored?
Do you require a long shelf life?
Do you have the appropriate PPE for handling certain materials?

Products to Consider:

TECHSiL supply a wide range of adhesives and sealants which are suitable for military and defence applications including cyanoacrylates, epoxies, RTV silicones, coatings, lubricants, O-Rings and more.

MIL-Spec

Momentive RTV116 FDA Silicone Sealant
Permabond 910 Metal Bonding Cyanoacrylate

UL Recognised

Momentive RTV167 Electronic Grade Silicone

MOD

Loctite 638 MOD Anaerobic Retainer
Loctite 270 Anaerobic Retainer

Low Outgassing

Momentive RTV142 Low Outgassing Sealant

Contact our team for Trelleborg O-Rings and Gaskets as well as the full range of Momentive, Permabond, and Loctite materials.

Why Choose TECHSiL for Defence Materials?

For over 30 years TECHSiL have supplied high performance adhesives and sealants across industries including defence, aerospace, and electronics. We have exceptionally high standards and alongside our extensive portfolio, offer bespoke solutions including repacking, stock management, and technical support.

TECHSiL Solutions:

Mil-Spec Products
JOSCAR Registered Company
UL Recognised Products
REACH/RoHS Compliant Products
Quality Management Approval: ISO9001:2015
Full Traceability
Reliable First Time Quality
NATO Stock Numbers (NSNs)

For advice on choosing the right material for your defence application speak to our Technical Team.

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