Military Aircraft Electromagnetic Compatibility: Release to Service Testing in the United Kingdom, Past, Present and Future

Release to service (RTS) Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing of military aircraft in the United Kingdom (UK), can be traced back as far as 1932 concerning the effect of engine interference on an aircraft´s communication systems. However, it was interference seen to aircraft weapons and electrical systems during operations from aircraft carriers in the 1960s that resulted in the significant expansion of the EMC assessment and test capabilities by QinetiQ (and its predecessor organizations) at Boscombe Down, and Farnborough, and by aircraft prime contractors. This paper describes the evolution of EMC test methods and facilities used to assess UK military aircraft from the 1960s, to the present and into the future, taking into account the advances in avionics technology and the associated challenges in assessing their suitability for RTS.