Electromagnetic interference evaluation of an intercommunications system on a Navy aircraft

The Intercommunications System (ICS) on a Navy aircraft was evaluated for numerous electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems that had been reported during use in the Fleet. EMI had caused the system to exhibit: randomly flashing lights, shut down and resetting of certain components, locked keying, and audio distortion. The problems were so severe that interference would make the system completely unusable, and seriously compromise the mission. Since it was not feasible to obtain all of the components and cabling of the system for testing in the EMI lab, conducted susceptibility testing was initially performed in an aircraft integration laboratory. Susceptibilities were found, fixes were attempted, and retesting was performed. For a more complete evaluation, radiated susceptibility testing is planned on the aircraft using reverberation chamber techniques. This paper discusses the testing techniques used/to be used, susceptibilities found, and the fixes performed.