Electromagnetic (EM) brakes are gaining importance in aerospace vehicles for various critical applications. In guided missiles, they are primarily used for locking the actuator when the missile is in carriage either by road or by air such that the position of the actuator is not changed when servo is in the off condition. In this paper, a new EM brake is designed which is more energy efficient and reliable compared to a conventional solenoid operated brake. The nonlinear magnetic analysis is carried out on the brake, and the hardware is realized and tested. The test results are promising and this topology can be adapted for aerospace and other critical applications. © 1965-2012 IEEE.