With a successful heritage in both commercial and military aerospace industries, Tucson Embedded Systems (TES) has been providing engineering services and solutions to our customers for over 15 years.  Our core expertise in this field is in producing RTCA/DO-178B avionics, which include safety critical, and flight critical software.  TES has experience with all phases of the DO-178B software development lifecycle for Levels A, B, and C.  We possess expertise in the full suite of DO-178B lifecycle artifacts from the Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) through the Software Accomplishment Summary (SAS).  A few examples of TES projects include:

• Developing, verifying, integrating and documenting Full Authority Digital Electronic Controllers (FADECs) for engines at DO-178B Level A, with Modified Condition and Decision Coverage (MCDC)

• Developing, verifying, integrating and documenting auxiliary power units (APU) and cabin pressure system controllers at DO-178B Level B, with decision coverage

• Developing, verifying, integrating and documenting radio control, Take Off and Landing (TOLD), displays, at DO-178B Level C, with statement coverage

• Developing, verifying, integrating and documenting software which performs engine health monitoring calculations and data storage functions for commercial and military aircraft

TES provides a full range of services for embedded systems development, from initial concept through prototype construction. We have the capability to develop both the software and the hardware for embedded systems. Our capabilities include avionics, control systems, data acquisition, data processing, embedded operating systems and communications using any of a variety of microprocessors and development environments.

TES can also build the tools needed to get the job done. Our engineering and technical software activities focus on the development of software applications and tools for engineering development and technical data analysis. These include metrics, real and non-real time engineering data acquisition and processing, custom data display tools, and data format conversion tools.

TES staffs its own internal Quality Assurance (QA) department that ensures rigorous performance standards are maintained throughout the lifecycle of a project.   In addition, TES has achieved its AS9100 certification and is AS9006 compliant as well. 

TES’ corporate experience and capabilities in providing safety critical/flight critical software solutions uniquely positions us as one of the few small companies that is able to provide a complete turnkey DO-178B engineering solution.

While TES has the capabilities and experience of a large aerospace prime, as a small company, we can more easily adapt and respond to our customers’ requirements.  TES can develop products by following our customer’s processes and procedures, can follow TES’ processes and procedures, or use a hybrid of both, depending on which combination provides the best product and value for the customer.

Previous TES Aerospace Projects

The brief descriptions below are a sample of some of the projects that TES has successfully accomplished.

Emergency Oxygen DO-178B Development and Certification

An established aerospace company invented an algorithm to better manage oxygen delivery and reduce weight on airframes. They sought a safety critical design company to engineer a functional system and get it approved for usage by the FAA. TES was hired to develop an emergency oxygen system using their new algorithm that can deliver oxygen more efficiently than traditional aviation oxygen systems, allowing reduced weight and fuel burn.  TES managed the full lifecycle of the project including the planning, execution, and documentation of all phases of software and test development: requirements, design, coding, verification, prototyping, and Formal Qualification Testing (FQT).  The whole project adhered to the strict guidelines set forth in the FAA DO-178B Level B requirements for airworthiness.   

FADEC Testing

TES was contracted to perform formal testing on the flight critical real-time control software used in a Full Authority Digital Engine Controller (FADEC). The FADEC is part of a turbofan engine development project currently underway by one of TES’ customers. The software is required to meet the highest level of FAA software certification – DO-178B Level A.  TES developed innovative strategies for the verification of the FADEC’s software, which increased the speed of test development while reducing risk and cost of the effort. The result was that development time for the verification activities were reduced by half, while still satisfying the high standards of DO-178B Level A.

Cabin Pressure Control System

TES was contracted to perform formal testing on the Cabin Pressure Control System (CPCS). The CPCS was a legacy system and required extensive upgrades to accommodate new automatic control mode logic. While writing the Project Plan, it was determined that the manual testing process needed to be upgraded in order to keep the project on schedule. A new infrastructure was created for automatic testing procedures using an established and certified tool. The testing time required for the entire process was reduced from 24 hours to 4 hours.

Naval Data Computer System

The Naval Data Computer (NDC) is an industrial-based NT system used for turbine engine control on a next generation ship of a foreign navy. The system allows the crew to operate the vessel in “sprint” mode using the turbine to augment the ships standard engines. TES engineers reviewed the software and the design requirements and determined that in addition to the unimplemented code, the original design was inadequate to support the required data throughput and response times.  In consultations with the customer, TES redesigned and re-implemented much of the software. 

ECU Software Revise and Test

TES modified and tested the embedded software used in an Engine Control Unit (ECU) to control a turbofan jet engine. The embedded engine controller consisted of a primary and backup unit with automatic fault switchover capability. Changes in the operational and design requirements of the engine system necessitated that the software be modified and then retested to ensure DO-178B compliance. The software also required modification to decrease the processing overhead and improve real-time performance.

Other Projects

Over the years, TES has also been involved in the development of a commercial sales and contracts management tool for the Windows 98/NT/2000 environment, a satellite communications system, network designs and installations, and an automated project time-tracking and cost-billing system.

Please contact us for more information about our capabilities and how we can help you.