Influence of electric power quality on avionic design and weapon system effectiveness

Design of all avionic systems on future aircraft is tied to the past by MIL-STD-704. Despite dramatic advances in performance and reliability of the avionic equipments, the power conditioning section of each subsystem must still tolerate wide frequency swings on a transient basis, long power interruptions, large voltage transients, and unbalanced phase voltages. During the past decade, General Electric has deveopled the variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) generation equipment under sponsorship by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The power quality available through VSCF systems represents a significant improvement over that required by MIL-STD-704. The weapon system improvements achievable through the use of this improved power were reviewed and assessed on existing production avionic subsystems. Proposed next generation avionic systems were also assessed to determine relative benefits achievable for new designs. Parameters considered were power dissipation, weight, volume, reliability, performance and cost. Data from this study on specific equipments was extrapolated to the avionic systems of future aircraft and cost and weight projections were made for both avionics and airframes.