EMI/EMC for military aircraft and its challenges

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of aircraft is a process of proving the capability of aircraft to operate satisfactorily in Electro Magnetic Interference environment. It is an involved process wherein considerable efforts towards design and test are required at various hierarchical levels. Effective EMI control on aircraft is possible and can be realized only if EMC exists at firstly the individual functional units and secondly at the system level comprising of several individual functional units. Hence EMI/EMC testing for aircraft is usually done in two phases, i. at subsystem level and ii. at system level, where all the subsystems are integrated together. This paper outlines the major activities involved in the EMI/EMC clearance of military aircraft.