Wind River Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653

Citation

(2005), "Wind River Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 77 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2005.12777aab.006

Wind River Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653

Wind River Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653

Keywords: Aircraft, Military aircraft, Safety, Software

Wind River Systems a major company in device software optimisation (DSO), has announced that EADS/CASA's Military Transport Aircraft Division (MTAD), selected Wind River Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653 as the device software foundation for its new boom air-to-air refueling technology (ARBS). Wind River states that it was selected because it is the only device software vendor with a platform that is ARINC 653 Supplement 1 compliant. It is also claims to be the only company to offer a flexible licensing model, allowing EADS and its divisions to develop mission critical applications better, faster at a lower cost and more reliably.

“This new application will provide the Airbus family with a high quality, flexible, low risk and cost-effective technology that will meet short and mid term military tanking transport requirements. Wind River's unflagging commitment to safety critical application development and certification made them an ideal fit for this boom control application”, said E. Martin, MTAD Systems Software Manager. “With Platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653, we have the complete foundation required to build and certify our application”.

MTAD is responsible for all military transport aircraft derivatives within EADS, including the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). The A330 MRTT is derived from EADS' Airbus A330 aircraft, which is the leader in its commercial market segment. With Wind River, MTAD is developing the control software for the new tail boom that will enable air-to-air refueling.

The device software that will control these mid-air refueling operations requires RTCA DO-178B level A safety certification, and the foundation operating system must be ARINC 653 compliant. Wind River platform for Safety Critical ARINC 653 is designed to provide fully integrated device software platforms that meet these stringent safety certifications. The platform is based on VxWorks AE653, a fully ARINC653 Supplement 1 compliant operating system, which enables application of different safety levels to share computing resources and is also specifically designed to support complex, partitioned applications such as the refueling project.

“Through its integrated platforms, Wind River continues to enable its customers to drive advances in safety critical applications”, Andreas Pabinger, Vice President EMEA for Wind River. “With another one of its division selecting the Wind River Platform, EADS continues to streamline its device software development while leveraging the industry's leading device software”.

The Royal Australian Air Force has selected the A330 MRTT to meet their refuelling requirements, and the first of five aircrafts is scheduled for delivery in 2008. The A310-300, which is owned by EADS/MTAD, will be the first aircraft that will include this new system. It will also be used as the demonstration aircraft for the boom system qualification in 2005.

For further details contact: Wind River Systems. Tel: +49 89 96 24 450; Web site: www.europe.windriver.com