DO-178B/C tool qualification pack launched at MAE 2012

York, UK, 22nd May 2012 Rapita Systems has released a tool qualification pack for avionics clients who use RapiCover for verification purposes within a project requiring DO-178B/C certification. Set against a background of increasingly complex avionics software, demand for qualifiable tools that can support the complexities of modern avionic systems and also reduce development costs is growing. Testing an application on-target means the code is executed in the environment for which it was designed, rather than in the host environment on which the code was developed but never intended to be executed. By testing on-target, developers get a much higher level of confidence that the tests they run are performed correctly. If configured properly, on-target testing also gives access to trace data which can aid timing analysis. The release is the first of two qualification pack launches for Rapita Verification Suite (RVS) tools:

• RapiCover (on-target code coverage); and
• RapiTime (on-target timing, verification and optimization).

Currently supporting the certification work of a European airframe manufacturer, Rapita’s DO-178B/C tool qualification pack supports the use of RapiCover for verification purposes in aerospace projects at levels A–D. “Measuring on-target code coverage in state-of-the-art avionics systems often presents technical challenges, but is an extremely worthwhile exercise because of the increased levels of confidence in the results,” said Guillem Bernat, CEO at Rapita Systems. “RVS tools which effectively analyse the behaviour and performance of complex avionics systems can now be qualified, giving our clients the evidence they need to satisfy their customers.” Rapita Systems provides three main options for supporting tool qualification within avionics projects:

• Qualification Data: documents which support a qualification case where customers provide their own tool verification.
• Qualification Kit: includes both the contents of the Qualification Data and the complete set of tests.
• Qualification Service: a Rapita Systems engineer works with the customer to create a Qualification Integration to work within their development environment, and to help embed qualification arguments into their certification case.

We aim to launch the RapiTime DO-178B/C qualification support pack in late Q2 2012. Early access is now available on a per-customer basis. Visit the DO-178B/C tool qualification page for more details.