Avionics is a word coined in the late 1930s to provide a generic name for the increasingly diverse functions being provided by AVIation electrONICS. World War II and subsequent Cold War years provided the stimulus for much scienti?c research and technology development which, in turn, led to enormous growth in the avionic content of military aircraft. Today, avionics systems account for up to 50% of the ?y-away cost of an airborne military platform and are key components of manned aircraft, unmanned aircraft, missiles and weapons. It is the military avionics of an aircraft that allow it to perform defensive, offensive and surveillance missions.