Management of EMC in Ageing Aircraft in the Australian Defence Force

Many aircraft operators (both military and commercial) operate aircraft that have exceeded their original operational design life - usually 20 years (National Transportation and Safety Board, 1998). These aircraft are collectively termed 'ageing aircraft'. As aircraft age, the methodologies employed to protect against electromagnetic interference are no longer effective due to the combination of the physical deterioration of the aircraft (and its systems) and changes to the electromagnetic environment in which the aircraft operate. Specifically, this paper describes the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues of ageing military aircraft in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and proposes ways to improve the overall EMC management. The root causes of the emerging EMC problems are discussed, including: how age-based deterioration exacerbates the level of electromagnetic interference in aircraft systems, the increasing maintenance and testing burden to ensure aircraft EMC, the difficulty of applying EMC-related policies and standards to upgrades and other sub-systems which are commercial-off-the-shelf or non-developmental items, related training and the general EMC awareness of ADF personnel, and the governance of EMC testing within the ADF.