A new approach to applying electromagnetic transient protection requirements to avionic and electronic equipment

Presently, separate and distinct electomagnetic (EM) transient protection requirements, test methods, and demonstrations are used for system-generated electromagnetic interference (EMI), lightning, and the nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP) on Air Force aircraft. This lack of a common approach to applying EM transient protection requirements has resulted in inflated design costs and performance impacts. This paper describes a new approach to consolidate and combine requirements to reduce the cost and complexity of protecting avionics and electronics, define specific equipment sensitivity levels, and provide a common equipment-level hardness baseline.