DO-254
| Latest version | April 19, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Organization | |
| Domain | Aviation electronics |
| Abbreviation |
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RTCA/DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware is a document providing guidance for the development of airborne electronic hardware, published by RTCA, Incorporated.
The DO-254 standard was formally recognized by the FAA in 2005 via AC 20-152 as a means of compliance for the design of complex electronic hardware in airborne systems. Complex electronic hardware includes devices like Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The DO-254 standard is the counterpart to the well-established software standard RTCA DO-178B/EUROCAE ED-12B. With DO-254, the FAA has indicated that avionics equipment contains both hardware and software, and each is critical to safe operation of aircraft. There are five levels of compliance, A through E, which depend on the effect a failure of the hardware will have on the operation of the aircraft. Level A is the most stringent, defined as "catastrophic" (e.g. loss of the aircraft), while a failure of Level E hardware will not affect the safety of the aircraft. Meeting Level A compliance for complex electronic hardware requires a much higher level of verification and validation than Level E compliance.
The main regulations which must be followed are requirements capturing and tracking throughout the design and verification process. The following items of substantiation are required to be provided to the FAA, or the Designated Engineering Representative (DER) representing the FAA:
The hardware design and hardware verification need to be done independently. The hardware designer works to ensure the design of the hardware will meet the defined requirements. Meanwhile, the verification engineer will generate a verification plan which will allow for testing the hardware to verify that it meets all of its derived requirements.
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