Automation platform supports aviation testing requirements

Syncore Technologies, based in Linkoping, Sweden, specialises in the design and development of safety-critical embedded systems for aerospace, industrial, and military applications. Working with defense and security company Saab, Syncore Technologies has developed a number of separate aircraft systems in accordance with DO-178B/C. These systems include flight deck display panels and wing mounted devices that monitor fuel level reserves.

Syncore’s development team chose the VectorCAST test automation platform for its ability to effectively test source code, easily create continuous test environments, and comply with Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) software development guidelines. The VectorCAST platform supports the creation and management of test cases to prove that the low-level software requirements have been tested. Additionally, VectorCAST supports the capture and reporting of structural code coverage data at all levels prescribed by DO-178B/C, including Level A.

"When working with safety-critical system development, you are committing to a very controlled development life cycle where systems verification needs to happen on several levels in the process. This can make a lot of things difficult, for instance when change requests or bugs appear late in the cycle,” stated Mattias Engström, chief operating officer at Syncore Technologies. “We find that VectorCAST drastically reduces regression and re-testing effort, as well as provides a high level of automation when developing the tests in the first place. Some standards also require a test tool certification, which makes VectorCAST an easy choice when developing against rigorous standards such as DO-178."

“The VectorCAST test automation platform has been qualified and used for certification on more than 100 avionics systems,” said William McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer at Vector Software. “VectorCAST helps Syncore and other organisations ensure that the complex systems they develop meet the most stringent safety standards on time and on budget.”