Standards, Regulations & Certifications

MONTREAL, Quebec, 15 Feb. 2012. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics engineers are using the Presagis VAPS XT-178, a DO-178B Level A human machine interface (HMI) tool from Presagis, to develop embedded graphics displays for the Special Mission Processor (SMP) under the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) MC-130J Increment 3 program. Presagis VAPS XT-178 will run on the MC-130J Variant and offer a path to compliance under the new DO-178C guidance. 

ANNAPOLIS, Md., 12 Feb. 2012. Commercial aircraft operators may start using an air traffic management (ATM) communications technology called the FANS 1/A over HFDL (FOH), after officials of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved FOH as a viable means of Air Traffic Service (ATS) communications. This means commercial aircraft may start using the global High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) network to communicate with air traffic controllers.

SIDNEY, N.Y., 9 Feb. 2012. Amphenol Aerospace, a provider of interconnect systems, has unveiled a series of rugged, micro-miniature connectors designed to maximize size, weight, and power (SWaP) in high-reliability, harsh environments, as well as to deliver power throughput and consistent coupling by incorporating more electrical connections in a compact form factor. The company’s new 2M Series are available in shell sizes from 5 to 23, weigh 72 percent less and is 52 percent smaller than standard MIL-DTL-38999 connectors, and are intermateable and intermountable with existing micro-miniature, high-density connectors typically used in aerospace and defense applications.

WASHINGTON, 6 Feb. 2012. U.S. senators have approved the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, submitting the bill to President Obama, who is reportedly in support of the legislature. If approved, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act will end a lengthy period of short-term funding extensions upon which FAA staff relied for years.

MONKS FERRY, U.K., 2 Feb. 2012. The LDRA tool suite from LDRA--maker of standards compliance, automated software verification, source code analysis and test tools--now supports direct integration with Altera’s Embedded Design Suite (EDS) for Nios II soft core processors.

SAN FRANCISCO, 1 Feb. 2012. A news story about the FACE Consortium’s debut of the long-anticipated FACE technical standard inadvertently omitted three of principal members: GE Aviation Systems, Textron Systems, and BAE Systems.

SAN FRANCISCO, 31 Jan. 2012. U.S. Navy and U.S. Army officials joined forces with aerospace and defense industry leaders, including executives from Lockheed Martin and Rockwell Collins, to help ensure warfighters can benefit from continued software innovations, both more quickly and more affordably, despite anticipated U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) budget cuts. The Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium has released the FACE Technical Standard, providing guidelines for creating a common operating environment to support applications across multiple DOD avionics systems.

SAN DIEGO, 20 Jan. 2012. Embraer Defense and Security officials have selected Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), to supply the auxiliary power unit (APU) for the company’s new Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft. Embraer Defense and Security engineers are developing the Embraer KC-390 twin-engine, medium-lift military transport aircraft with the Brazilian Air Force. The aircraft, slated to enter service in 2016, is capable of transporting up to 23 tons of cargo, including wheeled armored vehicles, support equipment, and military personnel. The cargo aircraft also can be rapidly configured as a tanker.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., 16 Jan. 2011. Officials of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington will establish an Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for General Aviation this year to advance general aviation technology, and are asking colleges and universities to submit proposals to become members no later than 5 March. Eligible for membership in the FAA Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation are accredited institutions of higher education.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., 12 Jan. 2011. The Florida Capitol hosted Space Day this week, marking the first such event since NASA’s space shuttle program came to a close. Space industry leaders and advocates from across Florida discussed the importance of Florida’s aerospace industry, while Florida senators are working both to diminish the economic impacts of the program’s end and to boost opportunities for high-tech jobs in the state.

BLACKSBURG, Va., 8 Jan 2012. The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Fort Belvoir, Va., is issuing Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMDs) for more than 150 space-grade, radiation-hardened DC-DC power converter modules from power electronics specialist VPT Inc. in Blacksburg, Va. VPT’s rad-hard SV series DC-DC converters are manufactured to MIL-PRF-38534 Class K for space environments. These products are for space applications including low Earth orbit (LEO) systems, geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) systems, deep space probes, and other demanding applications.

HAIFA, Israel, 5 Jan. 2012. Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) won a $50 million contract to supply its Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft systems to a government office in the Americas for perimeter security missions. The project, spanning roughly one year, also includes Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS), Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop's advanced DCoMPASS payload systems, and satellite communication systems. 

Jan. 4, 2012 By Chris Murray.

When it comes to a sound certification practice, commercial and military avionics are light years ahead of the pack. DO-178 certification, first introduced in the 1980s, represents the gold-standard, requiring companies to comply with software processes that mandate requirements traceability, software architecture and coding guidance, comprehensive testing of all code, and the production of certifiable products. Both commercial and military industries boast the healthiest record on system safety. And, largely due to these processes, projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) are recognized for the highest levels of design and safety integrity.

ANNAPOLIS, Md., 20 Dec. 2011. ARINC Engineering Services LLC engineers, under contract with Rockwell Collins, has upgraded the navigation systems and advanced communications equipment on two OC-135B “Open Skies” observation aircraft. ARINC engineers installed the Rockwell Collins Block 40 Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) navigational upgrade and multiple new communications systems on both planes. With GATM navigational capability, the OC-135B meets worldwide Communications, Navigation, Surveillance, and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) mandates.

SALT LAKE CITY, 16 Dec. 2011. Parvus Corp. in Salt Lake City is introducing the DuraNET 10-10 rugged, low-cost IP67 Ethernet switch for homeland defense applications such as border security, disaster recovery, first-responder vehicles, drug enforcement, and other civilian mobile, tactical or outdoor applications that must resist the effects of extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, dust, and rain. The DuraNET 10-10 has a dust- and water-proof design with IP67 environmental protection aimed at cost-sensitive commercial user applications that may not require compliance to military standards, Parvus officials say.

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., 13 Dec. 2011. Holt Integrated Circuits Inc. in Mission Viejo, Calif., is introducing three analog switch products for multiplexing the ARINC 429 commercial avionics databus in harsh environments such as avionics or industrial automation applications. The devices have features for applications that requires the switch to be open circuit when power is off. Switch on-resistance (RON) is 28 ohms maximum and within 10 percent flat across a plus-or-minus 5-volt Common Range.

MONTREAL, 6 Dec. 2011. A new, free Webcast takes place on Dec. 15 at 11 am EST on DO-178C, the latest revision of the “Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification” FAA guidelines published by RTCA Inc.—which is scheduled for release by the end of Dec. The upcoming Webcast, brought to aerospace, defense, and avionics professionals by Avionics Intelligence and Presagis, will discuss: the main objectives and changes inherent in DO-178C, emerging software trends, impacts on the development of certifiable aircraft software, and solutions to these challenges. Register today!

BOHEMIA, N.Y., 29 Nov 2011. Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is introducing a hardware/software development kit that with tools to help avionics and other systems designers implement MIL-STD-1553 avionics databus boards using the DDC Total-AceXtreme MIL-STD-1553 single package. The kit provides support to accelerate development and deployment while capitalizing on the AceXtreme architecture, company officials say.

LE HAILLAN, France, 10 Nov. 2011. GAIA Converter in Le Haillan, France, is introducing MGDS-75-S series of high-input-voltage DC-DC converters for avionics, aerospace, military, and missile applications. The power electronics devices have an input voltage range of 155 to 480 volts, making them suitable for 270-volt applications that must meet MIL-STD-704E/F. The family of power supplies consists of five separate single-output models offering 3.3-, 5-, 12-, 15-, and 26-volt outputs, each capable of delivering as much as 75 Watts in the industry standard quarter brick measuring 57.9 by 36.8 by 12.7 millimeters.