Avionics software: where are we?
ResearchPublished 1982
Since the digital computer first flew in an avionics system 25 years ago, the art has progressed from small, very slow vacuum tube machines with limited memory to fast chip-based machines that not only do sensor processing but also integrate a variety of data sources into many capabilities--among others, navigation, sophisticated weapons delivery, and programmed menu-displays to the air crew. As on-board computer hardware has proliferated, software inescapably has also. From a few hundred program words at the beginning, flight software is now commonly many tens-of-thousands of words; frequently, a few hundred thousands; and in some cases, even a million. Thus, implementation and management of software resources has become a major problem area for the military services. The paper explores dimensions of the issue as it now exists, suggests many positive actions under way, and proposes a direction in which the future may well move. It concludes that software will continue to be troublesome; progress will come slowly.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 1982
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 16
- Paperback Price: $20.00
- Document Number: P-6786
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Ware, Willis H., Avionics software: where are we? RAND Corporation, P-6786, 1982. As of September 5, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6786.html
Ware, Willis H., Avionics software: where are we? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1982. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6786.html. Also available in print form.
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