System Framework for the Design of an Avionics Architecture with Upgrade Potential

The technological growth of ‘avionics systems’ has outpaced the service-life of aircraft, resulting in avionics upgrade as a preferred cost-effective option to new design. Mid-life upgrade of “avionics systems“ by state-of-the-art mission systems has been a challenging engineering task. The complexity of avionics upgrade process is due to the design rigidity of avionics systems architecture. An avionics architecture with growth potential is required to optimise avionics upgrade with state-of-the-art systems. A research program that partially addresses avionics systems upgrade by developing a methodology to design an avionics architecture with in-built growth potential is discussed in this research paper. A ‘system approach’ is adopted to develop a methodology that identifies the design parameters that will facilitate design of an avionics architecture with upgrade potential.