Abstract: To resolve the disadvantages of the traditional electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) design method on electronic warfare (EW) special aircraft, a novel method named "top-down, systemic, quantificational pre-design" was presented and applied. As design scheme of EW special aircraft was conceived, systemic energy-transmission models and interfered relationship matrices were devised. Then the security of on-vehicle receivers, fuze, fuel, aviators and operators was analyzed with the method of numerical simulation, behavioral level simulation, equivalent calculation, statistics of datum, etc. The perfect system EMC performance can be achieved by evaluating EMC performance, distributing the EMC parameters quantificationally, optimizing design time after time. In addition, the system EMC performance can be analyzed along with the change of subsystem parameters. The subsystem parameters can be adjusted to meet the system EMC performance as well. The potential EMC problems can be exposed at the stage of design and resolved before the design was finalized. It has been applied in EMC design on a number of special aircrafts with a high success rate, and offered important technical support for resolving the acute EMC problems in research and development of models.