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It would be expensive, dangerous,
and nearly impossible to test all of the flight control systems
on all classes of aircraft under all likely electromagnetic environments.
Instead, computational and experimental methods are being developed
to assess the effects of electromagnetic interference on aircraft
electronics. If the electromagnetic environment local (inside the
aircraft) to a flight-critical component can be calculated numerically
given the frequency, intensity, and incidence angle of an illumination,
then that component can be tested for upsets under the same stress
in the laboratory. |
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The interactions of the HIRF fields with the aircraft can be visualized as color-coded contours, as in this figure. The warmer colors indicate higher field intensities, while cooler colors represent lower field intensities. |
The goal of NASA's HIRF program is to develop the techniques and methods for assessing the effects of High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) on the survivability of commercial aircraft. The Telecommunications Research Center is participating in the validation phase of this HIRF project. Using the NEWS code, we are attempting to model and predict the EM fields, at particular locations within a Boeing 757-200, that have penetrated into the fuselage from an external source. |
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All rights reserved. All trademarks mentioned herein belong to their
respective owners. |
In modern aircraft, flight controls
that once were operated manually via cables and hydraulics are increasingly
being replaced by digital electronics. Because of weight and maintanance
advantages over conventional hydraulic controls, future commercial
aircraft are envisioned as "all-electronic." Some aircraft,
notably the F-117A Stealth Fighter, are designed near the edge of
aerodynamic stability and even depend on computer-assisted controls
to stay in the air. In this world of digital fly-by-wire (or light)
avionics, computerized controls, smart actuators, and other "black
boxes", the potential susceptability of flight-critical systems
to external radio frequency interference is a real concern. 
