Customized characteristic services for DO-160 Standards

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RTCA DO-160, also known in Europe as EUROCAE ED-14, is a global standard that defines a series of environmental test conditions and test procedures for airborne equipment . It is developed by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), specifically SC-135, in collaboration with its European counterpart .

The standard applies to all types of aircraft—from light general aviation aircraft and helicopters to commercial jumbo jets (e.g., Airbus A380 and Boeing 787) . Its primary purpose is to provide laboratory methods that determine the performance characteristics of avionics equipment under environmental conditions typical of aircraft operation

The DO-160 standard is organized into 26 sections and three appendices . Below is an introduction to each test section, including both environmental/mechanical tests and electrical/EMC tests.

Environmental & Mechanical Test Sections

Section	Test Category	Description
Section 4	Temperature and Altitude	Evaluates equipment performance under extreme temperature and pressure conditions, including loss of cabin pressure .
Section 5	Temperature Variation	Assesses the ability to withstand rapid temperature changes and the effects of differential thermal expansion .
Section 6	Humidity	Determines resistance to prolonged exposure to high moisture levels, which can cause corrosion or insulation degradation .
Section 7	Operational Shocks and Crash Safety	Simulates mechanical shocks from rough landings or emergencies; crash safety tests ensure equipment does not become a projectile .
Section 8	Vibration	Verifies that equipment can operate without failure under vibration profiles specific to aircraft type and location .
Section 9	Explosive Atmosphere	Ensures equipment will not ignite flammable vapors present in certain aircraft zones (e.g., fuel tanks) .
Section 10	Waterproofness	Tests protection against dripping or pooled water to verify functionality in wet conditions .
Section 11	Fluids Susceptibility	Assesses resistance to accidental contact with various aircraft fluids (e.g., hydraulic fluid, fuel, cleaning agents) .
Section 12	Sand and Dust	Evaluates sealing effectiveness against particulate ingress, relevant for desert or dusty environments .
Section 13	Fungus Resistance	Determines if materials support fungal growth, which could degrade performance in humid tropical climates .
Section 14	Salt Spray	Validates resistance to corrosion caused by salt-laden atmospheres, especially for marine or coastal operations .
Section 24	Icing	Tests performance characteristics when equipment is exposed to ice accretion conditions .
Section 26	Fire and Flammability	Ensures materials are self-extinguishing and meet flammability requirements for fire safety .

Electrical & Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Test Sections

Section	Test Category	Description
Section 15	Magnetic Effect	Measures the deflection of a magnetic compass caused by the equipment's magnetic field .
Section 16	Power Input	Tests equipment's ability to operate under normal, abnormal, and transient power supply conditions (voltage, frequency, ripple) .
Section 17	Voltage Spike	Simulates short-duration high-voltage transients on power lines to verify equipment immunity .
Section 18	Audio Frequency Conducted Susceptibility	Assesses immunity to audio-frequency signals coupled onto power input lines (closed-loop testing) .
Section 19	Induced Signal Susceptibility	Evaluates sensitivity to magnetic and electric fields induced by nearby wiring or equipment .
Section 20	Radio Frequency Susceptibility (Radiated and Conducted)	Tests immunity to radiated RF fields (100 MHz to 18 GHz) and conducted RF currents (10 kHz to 400 MHz via BCI method) .
Section 21	Radio Frequency Emission (Radiated and Conducted)	Measures electromagnetic emissions from equipment to ensure they do not interfere with other avionics. Frequency range: 150 kHz to 30 MHz (conducted) and 2 MHz to 6 GHz (radiated) .
Section 22	Lightning Induced Transient Susceptibility	Tests immunity to indirect lightning effects (induced voltages/currents on cables), including multiple burst and multiple stroke waveforms .
Section 23	Lightning Direct Effects	Validates equipment's ability to withstand a direct lightning strike attachment without physical damage or unsafe failure .
Section 25	Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)	Checks equipment robustness against ESD events during handling, transport, or operation .