How does MIL-STD-461 apply to the EMI/EMC testing of military RF equipment?

MIL-STD-461 applies to military RF equipment by specifying requirements and test methods for controlling electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions and ensuring electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with other equipment on military platforms. The standard defines both conducted and radiated emission limits that RF equipment must meet, and conducted and radiated susceptibility levels that the equipment must tolerate without performance degradation. For RF equipment specifically, the key challenge is that the intentional RF emissions from the transmitter and the strong signals at the receiver input must coexist with the stringent EMI limits designed to prevent interference with other electronic systems on the same platform. The relevant test categories include CE102 (conducted emissions on power leads, 10 kHz-10 MHz), RE102 (radiated emissions, 10 kHz-18 GHz), CS101 (conducted susceptibility on power leads), CS114 (conducted susceptibility, bulk cable injection, 10 kHz-200 MHz), RS103 (radiated susceptibility, 2 MHz-18+ GHz), and RE103 (radiated emissions from antenna ports, verifying spurious emissions are below allowed levels). The tailoring of these requirements depends on the installation platform (ship, aircraft, ground vehicle, submarine) because electromagnetic environment severity varies significantly between platforms.