Planning for the future

The long lifetimes of aircraft pose big challenges for the many engineers who want to adopt the latest in electronic technologies.

There are many techniques that help bridge the huge gap between the rapid obsolescence of electronics and the lengthy lifetimes of aircraft. Some use custom technologies such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) and FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), while others are taking steps to isolate hardware and software so more changes can be made using software.

In a change from past efforts to minimize the size of electronic systems, some designers are leaving a bit of space so they can add technologies that are not cost-effective when planes first go into production. “We don't need to put everything in right away, we can add some things seven or eight years out. To permit that, we leave space in the cabinets and leave room on circuit boards,” said Randy Robertson, Vice President of Engineering at Honeywell Aerospace.