Effects of digital avionics systems on the survivability of modern tactical aircraft

• Main Author: Duym, Wade Douglas
• Other Authors: Ball, Robert E.
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/31434

Many modern tactical aircraft incorporate digital avionics systems with federated, centralized or distributed avionics architectures that share data via interconnecting data buses. The design of a digital avionics architecture has an impact on the combat survivability of the aircraft. Survivability in combat is defined as 'the capability of the aircraft to avoid and/or withstand a man-made hostile environment.' Survivability is made up of two elements; (1) susceptibility, the inability of the aircraft to avoid being damaged by the various elements of the man-made hostile environment, and (2) vulnerability, the ability bf the aircraft to withstand the damage caused by the hostile environment. Thus, a tactical aircraft should be designed to avoid being hit and to survive if hit. This thesis explores the survivability advantages and disadvantages inherent in the design of digital avionics system architectures. (MM)