RTCA DO-178C PDF

Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification

STANDARD by Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics , 12/13/2011

This document discusses those aspects of certification that pertain to the production of software for airborne systems and equipment used on aircraft, engines, propellers and, by region, auxiliary power units. 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 the certification process is not intended.

The guidance contained in this document does not define or imply the level of involvement of a certification authority in a certification process. To understand certification authority involvement, the applicant should refer to applicable regulations and guidance material issued by the relevant certification authority.

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.

This document does not attempt to define firmware. Firmware should be classified as hardware or software and addressed by the applicable processes. This document assumes that during the system definition, functions have been allocated to either software or hardware. Other documents exist that provide guidance for development assurance for functions that are allocated to implementation in hardware. This document provides guidance for functions that are allocated to software.

Note: This allows an efficient method of implementation and development assurance to be determined at the time the system is specified and functions allocated. All parties should agree with this system decision at the time the allocation is made.

Matters concerning the structure of the applicant’s organization, the commercial relationships between the applicant and its suppliers, and personnel qualification criteria are beyond the scope of this document.