Advanced avionics system development: Achieving systems superiority through design automation

Avionics systems in advanced aircraft provide the improved capability critical to achieving mission success for the war fighter. As the costs associated with aircraft avionics continue to mount, improved weapons system acquisition and support depends on cost-effective design methodologies and accurate design documentation. This paper explores how the standard hardware description language VHDL serves a critical role in effective acquisition of digital electronic systems. With the ever-increasing complexity of systems and interdependency of hardware and software through-out the weapon system life cycle, it is imperative to facilitate the development of effective standards, methodologies, and tools which support the acquisition of complex systems consisting of sophisticated hardware and software. For cost-effective development of weapons systems which may have operational deployment spanning decades, program offices need to exploit the best commercial design practices and adapt them to support concurrent engineering considerations. Programs such as the DARPA Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors (RASSP) effort demonstrate 3X improvements in avionics system development by advocating approaches such as using COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) parts, Model Year Upgrades, and virtual prototyping as techniques to leverage the economies of scale driving commercial electronics cost and performance improvements. Wright Laboratory programs focusing on electronic systems design automation provide complementary improvements in design, documentation, and maintenance capabilities. Results from this research supports acquisition reform efforts to streamline the weapons system procurement process and provide design management techniques. At the same time, while the Department of Defense (DoD) is moving away from dictating standards in contracting, the electronics industry continues to embrace open standards as a means to ensure hardware and software component compatibility. The question arises: what methodology and standards developments are necessary to support the continuing development of sophisticated weapons systems for the military? To address this question, the paper explores methodological needs for hardware and software design, manufacturability, test, and related issues to provide context and motivation before describing ongoing work to meet these needs.