Open Systems: a process for achieving affordability

A major factor that will drive the definition and design of future avionics systems is affordability. Affordability is being addressed on numerous fronts such as hardware re-use, software re-use, COTS leveraging, and reduced cycle times. Each of these thrusts provide potential cost saving along with unique challenges. What is needed is a process that integrates these initiatives while ensuring the overall system objectives are achieved. An Open Systems-based process is key to integrating these initiatives and balancing affordability and system performance goals. Although Open Systems are being widely recognized as a key to affordability, most interpret Open Systems as a set of system attributes that need to be achieved. There are numerous claims of vendors saying they have an Open Systems architecture; or how their system will evolve to an Open Systems architecture. This emphasis is not on increasing affordability, but on attaching a politically-correct label to their product. In this paper, we focus on the Open Systems process as the key to affordability. An Open Systems process is based on Open Systems principles. This paper discusses the Open Systems principles and process in detail and shows how this process integrates numerous affordability initiatives     

Open systems-a process for achieving affordability [in avionicssystems]

A major factor that will drive the definition and design of future avionics systems is affordability. Affordability is being addressed on numerous fronts such as hardware re-use, software re-use, COTS leveraging, and reduced cycle times. Each of these thrusts provide potential cost savings along with unique challenges. What is needed is a process that integrates these initiatives while ensuring the overall system objectives are achieved. An Open Systems-based process is key to integrating these initiatives and balancing affordability and system performance goals. Although Open Systems are being widely recognized as a key to affordability, most interpret Open Systems as a set of system attributes that need to be achieved. There are numerous claims of vendors saying they have an Open Systems architecture or how their system will evolve to an Open Systems architecture. This emphasis is not on increasing affordability but on attaching a politically correct label to their product. In this paper, we focus on the Open Systems process as the key to affordability. An Open Systems process is based on Open Systems principles. This paper discusses the Open Systems principles and process in detail and shows how this process integrates numerous affordability initiatives     

Open System Avionics Architectures

Over the last three years, Open System Avionics Architecture concepts have been addressed by the avionics community as a method for increasing affordability. The Naval Air Systems Command (Nav Air) led Advanced Avionics Architecture and Technology Review team of 1992, followed by the multiservice Avionics Engineering SubBoard (AESB) implementation phase team are two examples. The Perry memo and formation of the Open Systems Joint Task Force (OS-JTF) are further evidence of the importance placed on open systems at the DoD level. This paper summarizes these activities and their importance. Examples of the savings that can be expected by application of open systems are presented. Finally, significant on-going work along with critical technologies and concepts that need to be matured to make open systems successful are discussed