System Modeling for Reusability

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) can be applied to rotary wing platforms, to enhance system analysis, system design, and reusability. A major rotary wing program with modified avionics architecture, including some new design effort, was chosen for a pilot system modeling project. The objective of the pilot project was to use UML to develop system models that would increase reusability of analysis and design objects, effectively capture the analysis and design, and develop a process that improves upon traditional design approaches. By advancing towards an integrated tool environment, the design, test and integration of new technologies can be shared across rotary wing platforms more effectively; therefore, lowering the time and cost of programs. This paper represents a snapshot of the pilot project’s progress, which will continue over the 2007 calendar year. UML models for the new functionality on the pilot project are in the development stages and are designed to maximize the sharing of objects between programs. The UML models improve the analysis and design process and provide the technology to gain more reusability.