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| RTCA DO178 |
| Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification |
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RTCA DO178 - Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification
INTRODUCTION
The rapid increase in the use of software in airborne systems and equipment used on aircraft and engines in the early 1980s resulted in a need for industry-accepted guidance for satisfying airworthiness requirements. DO-178, "Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification," was written to satisfy this need.
This document, now revised in the light of experience, provides the aviation community with guidance for determining, in a consistent manner and with an acceptable level of confidence, that the software aspects of airborne systems and equipment comply with airworthiness requirements. As software use increases, technology evolves and experience is gained in the application of this document, this document will be reviewed and revised. Appendix A contains a history of this document.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the production of software for airborne systems and equipment that performs its intended function with a level of confidence in safety that complies with airworthiness requirements. These guidelines are in the form of:
- Objectives for software life cycle processes.
- Descriptions of activities and design considerations for achieving those objectives.
- Descriptions of the evidence that indicate that the objectives have been satisfied.
SCOPE
This document discusses those aspects of airworthiness certification that pertain to the production of software for airborne systems and equipment used on aircraft or engines. In discussing those aspects, the system life cycle and its relationship with the software life cycle is described to aid in the understanding of the certification process. A complete description of the system life cycle processes, including the system safety assessment and validation processes, or aircraft and engine certification process is not intended.
Since certification issues are discussed only in relation to the software life cycle, the operational aspects of the resulting software are not discussed. For example, the certification aspects of user-modifiable data are beyond the scope of this document.