Avionics

For building and verifying software systems that meet the highest level of safety certification, Dedicated Systems chooses AdaCore. With certification levels A and B in DO-178B / DO-178C,  AdaCore has to date enjoyed a long and successful history serving customers in the Avionics industry, continuing to expand via a deep understanding of the complexities of the certification process and tools needed to ease workflow and manage costs with its offerings.

Notable projects employing AdaCore solutions include …

• Boeing 787 Dreamliner Common Core System;
• Thales’ Air Data Inertial Reference Unit (ADIRU);
• Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited TERPROM® digital terrain system;
• Eurocopter ARINC-653 demonstrator for military helicopters;
• Embraer Defense and Security Operation Flight Program; and
• BAE Systems Eurofighter Typhoon.

Providing software for aircraft mission-critical system spanning four decades, Wind River® is the clear choice for Dedicated Systems to provide customer solutions that demand the highest standards of certified safety, security and reliability.

With proven software deployments exceeding 1000 projects globally, over 650 customers and deployment in more than 100 commercial and military aircraft, Wind River® is pioneering the infrastructure technologies delivering software-defined systems in aerospace and improved affordability in aerospace programmes.

Wind River® solutions extend to …

• Boeing Dreamliner Common Core System [CCS] ;
• BAE Tornado Advanced Radar/Map Display Information System; and
• Northrop Grumman UCAS-Demonstrator programme.

Need real-time verification solutions for aerospace embedded systems? Dedicated Systems chooses Rapita Systems as a proven leading provider of efficient and cost-effective tools for software developers working on high-integrity civil and military aerospace applications.  The aerospace purpose-specific version of their Rapita Verification Suite [RVS] meets the critical demands of software requirements for today’s aircraft systems.

As contributors to the development of an open military avionics environment [FACE™], and educators in DO-178C certification and compliance, Rapita Systems is at the forefront in shaping real-time verification in aerospace.

Rapita Systems solutions include …

• BAE Systems Hawk Mission Computer Operational Flight Program;
• Alenia Aermacchi M 346 Master (military transonic trainer aircraft for combat pilots); and
• Embraer’s DO 178B Level A flight control system – the R&D stage used RVS to capture worst case execution times and stack usage data reducing development costs.

For safety critical solutions, Dedicated Systems recommends CoreAVI, who have supplied embedded safety critical aircraft systems to major military and commercial avionics manufacturers for over 20 years. This includes VkCore SC, a safety critical graphics and compute driver supporting GPU compute technologies and the safety critical COTS-Design hardware IP.

CoreAVI provides complete platforms for safety critical applications that are DO-254/ED-80/DO-178C/ED-12C safety certifiable to Design Assurance Level [DAL] A, and aligned with Future Airborne Capability Environment [FACE™] Technical Standards. These platforms allow sourcing of system needs including hardware IP, graphics and compute drivers, firmware and real time operating systems from a single vendor, reducing cost, risk and integration effort.

CoreAVI application areas include …

• Boeing next generation high performance avionics cockpit display systems;
• Lockheed Martin F 35 Joint Strike Fighter next generation Panoramic Cockpit Display Electronic Unit [PCD-EU];
• NASA X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology [QueSST] aircraft eXternal Vision System [XVS]

Abaco Systems is a global leader in modular, high performance, open architecture, standards-based rugged embedded computing for the most demanding applications. With over 30 years of proven solutions, Abaco Systems is Dedicated Systems’ choice in embedded avionics solutions.

With a broad and deep line of avionics interfaces, test platforms, tools and software, Abaco Systems provides support to the development of modern military and commercial aircraft ranging from from small SWaP-constrained platforms to commercial airliners.

Prime customers include …

• AgustaWestland,
• BAE Systems,
• Boeing,
• Finmeccanica,
• General Dynamics,
• Harris,
• L-3 Communications,
• Lockheed Martin, and
• Raytheon.

High performance embedded computing [HPEC] is at the core of robust airborne applications. Dedicated Systems supplies Interface Concept solutions for demanding airborne applications –widely deployed in airborne systems.

Interface Concept develop and manufacture COTS and modified COTS boards and systems to provide rugged and flexible building blocks to meet the needs of HPEC solution requirements.

The HPEC range of Interface Concept products includes …

• Rugged Ethernet switches,
• High performance single board computers,
• FPGA processing boards, and
• Graphic and storage modules.

For avionics data interface solutions, Dedicated Systems chooses Astronics Ballard Technology – an  industry leader for reliable solutions with exceptional customer support.

Supplying avionics databus interfaces to the aerospace industry since 1986 (originally as Ballard Technology), Astronics Ballard Technology continue to supply innovative board, box, and software solutions to meet embedded, test, and simulation applications for industry, military and government users in the avionics industry worldwide.

The Astronics Ballard Technology product range includes:

• avionics I/O computers,
• databus interface cards,
• avionics interface software, and
• aircraft interface devices and compact USB/databus interfaces.

With growing demand on performance and configuration in computing engines, General Micro Systems [GMS] is positioned to deliver the optimum CPU technology available on the market, irrespective of supplier.

Dedicated Systems recommends GMS solutions with their operational model of technology independence, utilising the best CPU technology available, balancing price, performance and power while delivering quality and customer support.

The GMS operational model allows system engineers to optimise their computing engine designs to be the most efficient processing sub-systems in the embedded computing market from in the lowest power-consuming product to the highest performance.

With a proven track record (since 1979) of optimised processor speeds and custom configuration options, GMS has supplied the stringent demands of …

• United States Air Force,
• Lockheed Martin,
• Northrop Grumman,
• General Dynamics, and
• L-3 Communications (for platforms such as the B 1B Bomber, Airbus A380 and Air Force One).

Dedicated Systems recommends RTI software for standards-compliant connectivity – currently the foundation for hundreds of most mission-critical Aerospace and Defence system designs globally.

RTI Connext DDS provides fast, scalable, reliable and secure connectivity within and between air systems.  Built on the OMG DDS standard, it offers a path to RTCA DO-178C and EUROCAE ED-12C DAL A certification and runs on top of commercial avionics software standards including ARINC 653 and POSIX for rapid updates with minimal downtime.

Other Connext DDS features include …

• COTS RTCA DO 178C and EUROCAE ED-12C DAL A certification evidence in support of airworthiness;
• conformance with military avionics standards, including FACE™; and
• support for open standards, facilitating rapid integration of new and legacy airborne assets.

RTI Connext DDS customers include …

• Aurora Flight Sciences,
• General Atomics,
• Boeing, and
• US Army (in airborne systems).