Some environmental constraints for deployed military computing systems are operational temperature, humidity, sand, dust, vibration, shock/basic, leakage (immersion), steam and water jet cleaning, rapid decompression, contamination by fluids (e.g. oil, fuel, cleaning), nuclear hardness, and input voltage.

The proliferation of connected systems has been enabled by the U.S. military embrace of the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) revolution.

Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are being embraced so the technology can be serviced at the base instead of waiting for specialized parts or sending the system back state-side.

Rick Hearn explains how the key computing elements of an avionics system must all be designed with safety in mind and endure stringent testing to prove they can meet the required Design Assurance Level (DAL).

Given its complexity and the critical applications for which it is designed, embedded avionics software must undergo a rigorous approval and testing process before it can be approved as airworthy.

Aaron Frank and Ivan Straznicky look at VITA 47. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard VITA 47 gives system integrators a baseline for reliable and rugged products.

ANSI/VITA 47 is an American National Standards Institute standard that defines a rigorous test regime, enabling vendors to demonstrate that their VPX product is designed to perform optimally, while complying with specific environmental, manufacture, safety and quality criteria.

Aaron Frank and Ivan Straznicky look at VITA 47 for ruggedization and reliability. The VITA Standards Organization’s ANSI/VITA 47 targets the Environments, Design and Construction, Safety, and Quality for Plug-In Units.