Quality Is Critical In Aerospace and Defense Software
You Can’t Risk a Single Defect
Aerospace, defense, and military organizations use embedded software every day. Making sure that software is safe, secure, and reliable is critical. Quality is a must-have — not a nice-to-have.
So, developers are under pressure to produce software without a single defect.
Large codebases and complex systems make this a challenge. Tough compliance requirements make it even more difficult.
Airborne systems developers need the right tools to prove compliance and develop quality systems.
Find out what aerospace and defense developers had to say about quality in our recent report.
Develop Quality Airborne Systems
Ensure Safety by Complying with Standards
Maintain Security Across Development
Guarantee Reliability with Secure Coding
Develop Safe Airborne Systems
Lives are on the line whenever an airborne vehicle — from commercial aircrafts to fighter jets — takes off. These vehicles need to stay in the air and land, without compromising the safety of the passengers and crew on board.
Today, every airborne vehicle has embedded software. That software impacts hardware. And both need to be reliable to assure safety.
Developing safe software means you need to:
- Meet compliance requirements.
- Code in compliance with a coding standard.
- Store all digital assets — code, design files, binary files, artifacts — in one spot.
- Manage every version of code.
- Test the software thoroughly.
- Protect IP without sacrificing developer productivity.
- Collaborate across hardware and software teams.
See how Helix Core helped the Swedish Space Corporation improve performance and manage versions across distributed teams.
Comply With DO-178 and DO-330
Functional safety standards ensure that embedded software is safe, secure, and reliable. In the aerospace and defense industry, you need to comply with DO-178 and the related DO-330 tool qualification standard.
But compliance with standards is equal parts challenging and important. And aerospace, defense, and military developers are under pressure to comply with the following standards.
DO-178C and DO-178B
DO-178C Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification is required for airborne systems. And it’s one of the strictest industry regulations. (DO-178C is an update to DO-178B.)
You’ll need to comply with DO-178C across development — from planning to development to verification.
Using a static code analyzer and an ALM tool makes it easier to comply with DO-178C.
DO-330 Tool Qualification
DO-330 is a separate tool qualification standard that supplements DO-178C. DO-330 sets the requirements for tools used to develop airborne systems.
Using already qualified tools saves compliance time. Helix QAC, for example, comes with a DO-330 Tool Qualification pack that gives you all the documentation you need. So, you’ll save time and effort in the compliance process.
Manage Risk Across Development
Risk is high when developing embedded software for airborne systems.
When software fails, it’s not just an annoyance. It’s life-threatening. A software failure could compromise hardware. And that could lead to injury or death for passengers and crew aboard the aircraft.
That’s why you need tools that can help you identify, manage, and mitigate risk — before it becomes a problem.
You can do this by using:
- Static analysis to identify risk early.
- Traceability to create a risk matrix — and prioritize risk.
- Version control to make sure the right version of all digital assets are in use.
Tools for Developing Reliable Mission-Critical Systems
The right tools make it easy to develop reliable mission-critical systems. That’s why countless airborne systems developers count on Perforce development tools.
Helix QAC and Klocwork for Code Quality
Helix QAC and Klocwork are static code analyzers. You can run either one over your code and find defects earlier in development when they’re easier (and less expensive) to fix. And, static code analyzers help you comply with the coding standard of your choice.
Helix ALM for Requirements Traceability
Helix ALM is an end-to-end ALM tool with modules for managing requirements, tests, and issues. You can use Helix ALM to manage requirements — and make sure they’re fulfilled. Plus, Helix ALM makes it easy to create a requirements traceability matrix.
Helix Core for Version Control
Helix Core is version control software. You can use it for full traceability across every change made to code and other digital assets. Plus, Helix Core is fast and scalable — which makes it perfect for global teams.