Formal Analysis and Verification of Airborne Software Based on DO-333

Abstract

With rapid technological advances in airborne control systems, it has become imperative to ensure the reliability, robustness, and adaptability of airborne software since failure of these software could result in catastrophic loss of property and life. DO-333 is a supplement to the DO-178C standard, which is dedicated to guiding the application of formal methods in the review and analysis of airborne software development processes. However, DO-333 lacks theoretical guidance on how to choose appropriate formal methods and tools to achieve verification objectives at each stage of the verification process, thereby limiting their practical application. This paper is intended to illustrate the formal methods and tools available in the verification process to lay down a general guide for the formal development and verification of airborne software. We utilized the Air Data Computer (ADC) software as the research object and applied different formal methods to verify software lifecycle artifacts. This example explains how to apply formal methods in practical applications and proves the effectiveness of formal methods in the verification of airborne software.