Lightning doesn’t need to strike your aircraft directly to wreak havoc. Even nearby strikes can induce surges in sensitive wiring, sending data corruption, resets, or equipment failures right through your avionics systems. For military and aerospace engineers, these “invisible threats” aren’t hypothetical; they’re a real risk in every flight environment.
The big question isn’t if you should test for it, but how. And that’s where indirect lightning testing steps in.
Understanding the Challenge: Indirect Lightning Effects
Indirect lightning testing replicates the currents and voltages induced in equipment by nearby strikes, allowing engineers to simulate real-world conditions safely. The goal is simple: identify vulnerabilities before they fail in the field.
Without proper testing, even minor transient effects can compromise navigation, communications, and control systems, potentially grounding missions or jeopardizing safety. But traditional testing can be cumbersome, complex, and time-consuming.
Two Solutions for Different Needs
The AVI-LV3 and AVI-LV5 are robust systems designed to address indirect lightning testing for avionics. Both platforms streamline testing, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance, but are optimized for different levels of test severity and system complexity.
Key Capabilities (Across Both Systems):
🔸Integrated support for indirect lightning test waveforms, enabling both cable bundle and pin injection testing
🔸Automated test sequences with intuitive controls to reduce setup time and operator error
🔸Compliance with DO-160 Section 22 and MIL-STD-461 requirements
🔸Designed for repeatable, reliable results in both lab and field environments
Key Differentiator: Test Level Capability
🔸AVI-LV3: Supports testing up to Level 3
🔸AVI-LV5: Supports full testing from Levels 1 through 5
Best Fit / Application Guidance:
✔️Use the AVI-LV3 for standard commercial and military avionics testing up to Level 3, where a compact, efficient, and fully integrated solution is required.
✔️Use the AVI-LV5 when your test plan requires higher severity transients (Levels 4 and 5), particularly for advanced or airframe-integrated systems.
Common Questions Answered
⒈ Can one system cover all my testing needs?
It depends. The LV3 is sufficient for most standard Level 3 applications, while the LV5 is necessary if you’re testing to Level 5.
⒉ How much setup time is involved?
Both systems streamline testing. LV3’s single-unit design simplifies Level 3 tests, and LV5’s modular approach handles scenarios up to Level 5 efficiently. Both reduce repetitive hardware swaps and errors.
⒊ Will this meet compliance standards?
Yes. Both systems are built specifically to comply with DO‑160 Section 22 and MIL‑STD-461 CS117, with repeatable, audit-ready results.
⒋ What about long-term lab flexibility?
Both systems offer automated testing, integrated DSO measurements, quick and simple firmware and software updates, pre-defined or custom test setups, and export to multiple file formats, so your lab can grow without replacing the system.
Why This Matters
Indirect lightning testing isn’t just a compliance checkbox. It’s about confidence that your equipment will survive the real world, that your testing is accurate, and that you’re prepared before a failure ever happens.
Choosing the right system means balancing your lab’s current needs with future requirements: LV3 for streamlined Level 3 compliance, LV5 for advanced, flexible, and long-term testing programs.
The Bottom Line
Think of it this way:
- LV3 🟰 your dependable everyday tester, compact, fast, and reliable for Level 3 needs.
- LV5 🟰 your powerhouse, ready for high-level compliance.
By understanding both options, labs can make smarter, more confident decisions and ensure their avionics systems withstand whatever the storm throws at them.