Avionyx and Rapita Systems Partner on DO-178C Certification Tools
Avionyx, a subsidiary of Joby Aviation, has partnered with Rapita Systems to create a unified suite of tools for DO-178C compliant avionics software. The collaboration aims to establish a "one-stop-shop" for aerospace software verification and certification. The partnership is seen as a key enabler for accelerating eVTOL software verification.
- The collaboration is aimed at accelerating development and certification for complex avionics, including projects requiring the highest level of DO-178C compliance, Design Assurance Level A (DAL A). - Rapita Systems provides the Rapita Verification Suite (RVS), a set of on-target software verification tools that includes RapiTest for functional testing, RapiCover for structural coverage analysis, and RapiTime for execution time analysis. - Avionyx, founded in 1989 and acquired by Joby Aviation in 2022, brings over 35 years of experience in safety-critical avionics software and hardware engineering services, with a specialization in DO-178C and DO-254 standards. - The partnership specifically targets the Americas, combining Rapita's tools with Avionyx's engineering services to address the lengthy and costly process of software compliance, which can be a major source of delays for new aircraft programs. - A key technical focus is on multicore processor verification; the joint offering will leverage Rapita's MACH178 solution to provide a methodology for satisfying FAA and EASA objectives outlined in CAST-32A and AMC 20-193. - Joby Aviation acquired Avionyx to vertically integrate the company's deep expertise in software verification and certification, a critical component for the type certification of its eVTOL aircraft. - Avionyx maintains a significant engineering design center in Heredia, Costa Rica, with around 200 employees supporting both its own clients and providing shared services to the broader Joby enterprise. - The unified toolchain will integrate with development environments to automate testing, which can reduce the time to find and fix software defects from weeks to hours, thereby lowering development costs.
