Cots initiative and cost of S/W for aging avionics upgrades

Tremendous progress has been made in electronic H/W upgrade methodology through the use of reverse engineering; VHDL (VHSIC H/W Description Language); and H/W modeling, simulation, and synthesis tools. There are striking similarities between electronic H/W and S/W design methods due to the increasing popularity of modeling and simulation tools in both areas. In this paper we attempt to apply successful H/W modeling and simulation methodology to S/W upgrades for achieving affordable fast turn around S/W upgrades. The concepts of OOC/OOD (Object Oriented Coding/Object Oriented Design), S/W Wrappers, S/W Partitioning, and Plug and Play are also exploited for fast turnaround and affordable S/W upgrades. 40-60% cost reduction is achievable for both H/W and S/W development based on COTS approach and affordability measures. Commonality among platforms can add even more cost savings to both development and long term (20-30 years) maintenance of fielded upgrades based on the proposed methodology. The paper covers many of the areas that can influence S/W schedule and cost improvements. Some of the opinions presented need validation through R&D based on the proposed S/W upgrade methodology