Investigation on the effects of C-band high-power microwave on unmanned aerial vehicle system

When the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is irradiated by high-power microwave (HPM), its internal electronic components are susceptible to be affected. This paper establishes a software platform for real-time monitoring of each module's operational status and conducts irradiation tests. The results reveal that HPM radiation causes disruptions such as GPS interference, UAV shutdown, and datalink interruption. In this paper, the UAV and its internal cables are modeled to study the effect of microwaves on the UAV, and the field-circuit co-simulation under HPM radiation is carried out. The results show that HPM can cause high voltage pulses to couple onto the connecting cables of the above modules, which may lead to the abnormal operation of UAV devices. Additionally, it explains the reason for the different effect thresholds by combining simulation and test results. Finally, several suggestions are provided for improving the UAV's resistance to out-of-band electromagnetic interference.