Hi,
bombarded it with radiation on a wide range of frequencies. The flight testing had also involved flying into deliberately-selected Cu-nims on a number of occasions.
The lightning generates a broad spectrum of RF. We can "hear" it in the NDB and in the VHF, etc. The EMI/EMC issue is important and we can easily imagine the intrinsic susceptibility of circuitry to "interference". The Istres testing was for this. Also observing, FADEC. This was for radio "interference".
The ACARS (now two, after mm43 post) perhaps indicating a buss fault warned me to remember a training i had in PHX area on this subject. Don White also told about Tempest, a classified content. The EMP (electromagnetic pulse) of the lightning has a steep rise of energy in time. Worse is the nuclear blast. Itīs EMP could destroy the "front end" of a HF receiver (connected to an antenna) hundreds of miles from the blast.
But the lightning also carries "high current". We can "see" it in the flash.
My comment was about the current in the nose of a highly electronic a/c is like when we was in a C47 hit by a cloud-cloud bolt (i remember the ozone odour and the noise) at FL 080. The theory is that the "static current" flows outside the fuselage. But the holes we did see in the skin (thin for high currents) may suggest some energy "enters". And there is some "induction inside" the fuselage. (the fuselage like a coaxial cable receiving current in itīs shielding). I respect a lot this issue. High energy involved. I did see a gas station pump, knocked out by a bolt. And the road ahead a car of a friend "melted" before raining, etc. How many times displays "flickers" when crossing electrically charged space? Anyway the design (shielding, spatial redundancy, etc) and the statistics like commented earlier are an important argument that the issue is "under control".
The story was that there had been one or two FCC trips
Theoretically this would not occur. So...Better to stay away the phenomena when possible. After the "testing" the 787 was "reinforced" in this aspect. I heard of IIRC a F28 that lost hydraulics after a bolt. (with currents flowing in the "wrong circuit") And big planes crashed as a result from ignited vapors in fuel tanks. (L188, 707 and a 747)
The "testability" of this kind of susceptibility is a problem. No "man made generators" available. New designs, "composite intensive", requires attention.