MIL
MIL-STD-461
Standard Overview
MIL-STD-461 is the military test standard that establishes requirements for the electromagnetic characteristics of equipment and systems designed for the US Department of Defense (DoD) activities and applicated by DoD personnel. In the pages of MIL-STD-461, a comprehensive set of test procedures are defined to fulfill the DoD’s electromagnetic emissions and susceptibility regulations. The procedures are divided into four families: conducted emissions (CE), radiated emissions (RE), conducted susceptibility (CS) and radiated susceptibility (RS). Each test procedure is named with an abbreviation followed by a code; for example, MIL-STD-461 CS116, which details conducted susceptibility tests necessary for damped sinusoidal transients, cables and power leads.
Detecting rogue signals and electromagnetic interference is crucial to the military, as everything from a cellphone to a navigation component on a stealth jet produces an electromagnetic field and can potentially threaten safety, efficiency or secret communications. In 1960, the DoD created an Electromagnetic Compatibility Program to respond to the growing trend of electromagnetic interference. The goal of the program was to integrate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) into defense R&D. MIL-STD-461 was then jointly enacted by EMC personnel of the army, navy and air force, who addressed the interference reduction needs for the entire DoD in 1966 and produced the first version of MIL-STD-461 in 1967.
Ever since, the three branches of the military have collaborated to produce updated and expanded versions, cumulating in the most recent edition of the standard: MIL-STD-461G. The key differences between MIL-STD-461G and the previous version, MIL-STD-461F, can be seen in the chart below. Major changes in MIL-STD-461G include the removal of CS106 and the addition of CS117 and CS118.
Read more about testing requirements of MIL-STD-461G and MIL-STD-461F.
Download Latest Version of MIL-STD-461
Detecting rogue signals and electromagnetic interference is crucial to the military, as everything from a cellphone to a navigation component on a stealth jet produces an electromagnetic field and can potentially threaten safety, efficiency or secret communications. In 1960, the DoD created an Electromagnetic Compatibility Program to respond to the growing trend of electromagnetic interference. The goal of the program was to integrate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) into defense R&D. MIL-STD-461 was then jointly enacted by EMC personnel of the army, navy and air force, who addressed the interference reduction needs for the entire DoD in 1966 and produced the first version of MIL-STD-461 in 1967.
Ever since, the three branches of the military have collaborated to produce updated and expanded versions, cumulating in the most recent edition of the standard: MIL-STD-461G. The key differences between MIL-STD-461G and the previous version, MIL-STD-461F, can be seen in the chart below. Major changes in MIL-STD-461G include the removal of CS106 and the addition of CS117 and CS118.
Differences between MIL-STD-461F and MIL-STD-461G
| 461F | 461G | Description | Frequency | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CE101 | CE101 | Conducted Emissions, Audio Frequency Currents, Power Leads |
30Hz - 10kHz | |
| CE102 | CE102 | Conducted Emissions, Radio Frequency Potentials, Power Leads |
10kHz - 10MHz | |
| CE106 | CE106 | Conducted Emissions, Antenna Port |
10kHz - 40GHz | |
| CS101 | CS101 | Conducted Susceptibility, Power Leads |
30Hz - 150kHz | |
| CS103 | CS103 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port, Intermodulation |
Intermodulation, 15kHz - 10GHz |
|
| CS104 | CS104 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port, Rejection of Undesired Signals |
Signal Rejection, 30Hz - 20GHz |
|
| CS105 | CS105 | Conducted Susceptibility, Antenna Port, Cross-Modulation |
Cross-modulation, 30Hz - 20GHz |
|
| CS106 | Conducted Susceptibility, Transients, Power Leads |
Removed - because CS115 already fulfills its intended purpose, to safeguard against equipment performance degradation from voltage transients on ships |
||
| CS109 | CS109 | Conducted Susceptibility, Structure Current |
60Hz - 100kHz | |
| CS114 | CS114 | Conducted Susceptibility, Bulk Cable Injection |
10kHz to 200MHz | Clarification added that monitor probe is placed around a second fixture and terminated with 50Ω |
| CS115 | CS115 | Conducted Susceptibility, Bulk Cable Injection, Impulse Excitation |
||
| CS116 | CS116 | Conducted Susceptibility, Damped Sinusoidal Transients, Cables and Power Leads |
10kHz to 100MHz | |
| CS117 | Conducted Susceptibility, Lightning Induced Transients, Cables and Power Leads |
New - derived from RTCA DO-160 Section 22 Lightning Induced Transient Susceptibility for aerospace technology |
||
| CS118 | Conducted Susceptibility, Personnel Borne Electrostatic Discharge |
New - draws elements from RTCA DO-160 section 25 and IEC 61000-4-2 |
||
| RE101 | RE101 | Radiated Emissions, Magnetic Field |
30 Hz to 100 kHz | |
| RE102 | RE102 | Radiated Emissions, Electric Field |
10 kHz to 18 GHz | Restricting upper frequency range of test based on highest intentionally generated frequency within the EUT is removed (tests performed up to 18 GHz) |
| RE103 | RE103 | Radiated Emissions, Antenna Spurious and Harmonic Outputs |
10 kHz to 40 GHz | “Width” changed to “area,” resulting in additional test positions for all EUTs with a height greater than the smallest part of the antenna beam width curve |
| RS101 | RS101 | Radiated Susceptibility, Magnetic Field |
30 Hz to 100 kHz | |
| RS103 | RS103 | Radiated Susceptibility, Electric Field |
2 MHz to 40 GHz | |
| RS105 | RS105 | Radiated Susceptibility, Transient Electromagnetic Field |
Read more about testing requirements of MIL-STD-461G and MIL-STD-461F.
Download Latest Version of MIL-STD-461
