An Integrated Hardness Assurance Plan for Protection of Military Aircraft and Systems Against Hostile Electromagnetic Phenomena

There are several government and industry standards, specifications, and requirements in vogue which are aimed at making the present day military aircraft compatible with various hostile electromagnetic environ­ ments such as lightning, static electricity, nuclear EMP, and electromagnetic fields from radiation of RF energy. However, most of these standards and specifica­ tions were developed several years ago, and at that time these hostile electromagnetic phenomena were not con­ sidered to be a real threat to aircraft's mission com­ pletion capabilities. Rather, they were thought of as phenomena capable of causing only momentary inter­ ference in aircraft operations, with no resultant damage or mission-abort conditions. But due to factors such as use of composite materials and digital/sensi­ tive electronics in aircraft, possibility of aircraft flying through adverse weather or electromagnetic fields, more frequently, and possibility of a limited . nuclear war, these phenomena are now considered capa­ ble of causing damage to the aircraft to the extent ‘ of severely impairing its operational and mission com­ pletion capabilities. It is for this reason that an entirely new approach has to be taken to revise/upgrade these standards and specifications and to cease up with newer specifications and requirements so as to intro­ duce state-of-the-art techniques in design and manu­ facture of military aircraft and aerospace vehicles. This paper presents a review of such specifications and state-of-the-art techniques and discusses the modes through which they would impart a certain degree of hardness to the aircraft. The paper investigates the possibility of blending selected hardening features from various individual protection programs into one integrated hardness assurance plan capable of pro­ viding optimal protection to military aircraft and other aerospace vehicles, against all hostile electro­ magnetic phenomena. The paper also discusses the need to establish criteria for protection against these phenomena and for verification of such protection.