		Custom Search More than 10,000 searchable pages indexed. Greetings: There is so much good stuff on RF Cafe that there is no way to list or link to all of it here. Please use the Search box or the Site Map to find what you want - there is a good chance I have it. Thanks!
•−• ••−• −•−• •− ••−• • RF Cafe Morse Code >Hear It<
Job Board
About RF Cafe™ Copyright 1999-2015
Sitemap

Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook
- EMP / Aircraft Dimensions -

[Go to TOC]

EMP / AIRCRAFT DIMENSIONS

An aircraft flying in the vicinity of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) acts like a receiving antenna and picks up EMP radiation in relation to size like a dipole (or half-wavelength dipole). The electromagnetic pulse spectrum decreases above 1 MHz as shown in Figure 1, so an F-14 aircraft that is an optimum ½ wavelength antenna at ~8 MHz will pick up less EMP voltage than a B-52 or an aircraft with a trailing wire antenna. A rule of thumb for the voltage picked up is :

VEMP = 8.1 volts/ft times the maximum dimension of the aircraft in feet

This rule of thumb was generated because a single linear relationship between voltage and aperture seemed to exist and compared favorably with more complex calculations for voltage picked up by various aircraft when subjected to EMP.

Table 1 shows various aircraft and the frequencies they would be most susceptible to, using f = c/8, where 8 matches the selected aircraft dimension for maximum "antenna reception effect". This should be a design consideration when trying to screen onboard avionics from the effects of EMP.

The following is a partial listing of aircraft types vs identifying prefix letters (several are used in Table 1):

A   Attack
B   Bomber
C   Cargo
E   Electronic Surveillance
F   Fighter
H   Helicopter

K   Tanker
O   Observation
P   Patrol
Q Special mission
R   Reconnaissance
S   Anti Sub/Ship

T   Trainer
U   Utility
V   Vertical or Short Takeoff
     and Landing (V/STOL)
X   Experimental
Y   Prototype

Figure 1. EMP as a Function of Frequency

Table 1. AIRCRAFT DIMENSIONS AND EQUIVALENT ANTENNA APERTURE

Your RF Cafe
Progenitor & Webmaster

Kirt Blattenberger… single-handedly redefining what an engineering website should be.

Carpe Diem!
(Seize the Day!)

5th MOB: My USAF radar shop

Airplanes and Rockets: My personal hobby website

Equine Kingdom: My daughter Sally's horse riding website

Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook- EMP / Aircraft Dimensions -

Your RF CafeProgenitor & Webmaster

Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook
- EMP / Aircraft Dimensions -

Your RF Cafe
Progenitor & Webmaster