Abaco, RTI and Wind River Partner to Deliver First COTS DO-254 and DO-178C Solution for Airborne Systems

Abaco, Real-Time Innovations (RTI) and Wind River® today announced the integration of the first hardware, operating system, and communications framework with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) RTCA DO-254 and RTCA DO-178C DAL A safety certification evidence package. This package will deliver accelerated certification and airworthiness for next generation airborne control and mission systems. This first-of-its-kind multi-supplier solution stack based upon open standards, vastly reduces integration and certification risk while accelerating time-to-market and deployment of critical systems.  

This solution is the first time both hardware and software have been integrated from multiple suppliers with all components enabling the highest level of avionics safety certification. This integration is based upon the hardware and software modular open systems architecture (MOSA) and open industry standards, including Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE), POSIX, ARINC 653, VPX and more. Using these open standards enables the rapid insertion of new capabilities at both the hardware and software level, enabling this solution stack to support both legacy and new avionics designs.

This integrated solution is beneficial for all commercial and military avionics platforms that need to quickly create next generation solutions, with a defined emphasis on safety-certified FACE systems. The solution stack consists of the following products:

• Abaco FORCE2C: The FORCE2C is a ready-for-certification avionics platform, comprising SBC314C (NXP QorIQ T2081 PowerPC), RAR15XC (MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429), and XMCS01 (serial comms) and is engineered in accordance with RTCA DO-254 (EUROCAE ED-80) as required by FAA Advisory Circular AC 20-152 and EASA Certification Memorandum CM-SWCEH-001 and RTCA DO-178C (EUROCAE ED-12C) as required by FAA Advisory Circular AC 20-115D and EASA Certification Memorandum CM-SWCEH-002.
• RTI Connext® DDS: RTI Connext DDS is a software connectivity framework that shares information in real-time, enabling applications work together as an integrated system. Based on the Object Management Group Data Distribution Service (OMG DDS) standard, RTI Connext DDS is the designed to meet the demanding requirements of critical airborne systems requiring low latency, high reliability, scalability, security and COTS DO-178C DAL A certification evidence. RTI Connext TSS is the first certified conformant FACE Transport Services Segment (TSS), and enables rapid interoperability of FACE and SOSA system components and networked platforms.
• Wind River VxWorks® 653: VxWorks 653 is part of a family of products, including Wind River Helix Virtualization Platform, that offers a safe, secure, and reliable real-time operating system (RTOS) delivering an open virtualization platform with robust time and space partitioning on the latest multi-core processor platforms. With technology proven by more than 360 customers over 600 safety programs in more than 100 civilian and military aircraft, VxWorks 653 is driving the transition to software-defined systems in aerospace and defense, bringing innovative technology that solves real business problems. 

“We know that certification is a real challenge for many of our customers because of the time and expense involved,” said Simon Collins, Senior Product Manager at Abaco Systems. “That’s why we invested in providing the artifacts necessary to support the certifiability of the FORCE2C mission computer. On their own, they can make an important contribution to enabling our customers to achieve certification faster and at lower cost – but in combination with the evidence packages now available from RTI and Wind River, we can offer a very compelling solution.”

“Wind River and its partners are very pleased to help customers achieve cost synergies through ecosystem-integrated solutions, open architectures, and reuse with the industry’s first COTS DO-254 and DO-178C package for airborne systems,” said Ray Petty, vice president of aerospace and defense, Wind River. “COTS certification artifacts can accelerate the time required to accomplish certification while reducing risk, and extending this through certification-ready integrated solutions, brings significant value to our customers and their customers.”

“RTI is thrilled to be working with Abaco and Wind River to deliver the first COTS DO-254 and DO-178C solution for airborne systems,” said Chip Downing, Senior Market Development Director, Aerospace and Defense at RTI and Chair of the FACE Business Working Group Outreach Subcommittee. “We’re excited to continue to demonstrate our growing partner ecosystem based on COTS solutions and COTS certification evidence. This deepens our partner relationships and drives affordable safety-critical technology solutions within the military and commercial aerospace sector.”