Operating system will enable avionics manufacturers to get product to market quickly and safely
SAN JOSÉ, Calif., Jan. 12, 2009 —LynuxWorks™, Inc., a world leader in the embedded software market, today announced that AeroMechanical Services Ltd., (AMA on TSX-V) has selected LynuxWorks’ LynxOS®-178 real-time operating system (RTOS) for the company’s second-generation Automated Flight Information Reporting System (afirs™) program.
In a joint collaboration with engineering design-services organization Au-Zone Technologies Inc., LynuxWorks’ LynxOS-178 RTOS certified software provides full DO-178B/C certification for use with AMA’s afirs program. The LynxOS-178 RTOS is the first and only COTS operating system to receive acceptance for reusability from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for DO-178B/C certification.
afirs UpTime™ is an onboard satellite-based system that allows aircraft operators to manage and monitor aircraft operations anywhere, anytime, in real-time. The use of LynxOS-178 in the new generation of afirs hardware will allow AMA to meet the emerging requirements for satellite-based voice and data safety services. The afirs automatically reports critical flight data to ground-based airline operations in near real time, provides satellite-phone capabilities, and provides connectivity between the aircraft and the ground using a laptop computer or Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) in the cockpit. The afirs system enables the crew, from anywhere on the planet, to make phone calls, request weather reports, and receive or send messages to or from the ground or other aircraft.
“For afirs to be ready for the next generation of satellite communications in the aviation world, AeroMechanical Services Ltd. needed an operating system that was safe, reliable, secure and certified,” said Gurjot Singh, CEO, LynuxWorks. “Given our decades of experience in the avionics market, this further demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver solutions with the highest level of software certification for critical avionics systems. LynxOS-178 was a natural fit.”
In addition enhancing safety, afirs UpTime allows commercial airlines to increase profits by:
- Reducing fuel costs and carbon footprint through weight savings and operational fuel management initiatives,
- Decreasing delays by using real-time data to enhance logistics planning capabilities,
- Reducing fleet under-utilization by having better control of assets and their state of readiness, and
- Eliminating discrepancies between manual and automatic systems by providing a central single source of critical information.
“LynxOS-178 is the best multi-level DO-178B/C certifiable RTOS solution available for the avionics software in our afirs program,” said Mr. Stephen Harke, Director of Product Development for AMA. “Together with LynuxWorks we can provide our customers with a cost-effective solution designed to meet the regulatory requirements with a reduced time to market, yet provide the flexibility we need to meet the wide range of requirements that our customers have.”
The LynxOS-178 RTOS is the first and only hard real-time RTCA/DO-178B/C level A operating system to offer the interoperability benefits of POSIX® with support for the ARINC 653 APplication EXecutive (APEX), and is the only RTOS to be awarded a Reusable Software Component (RSC) by the FAA. At the core of the LynxOS-178 real-time operating system is LynxOS, a mature UNIX®-style operating system (born 1988) that was designed from the start for hard real-time determinism. LynxOS-178 has been deployed in millions of safety-critical devices worldwide, including multiple military and aerospace systems certified to DO-178B/C, up to level A.
About AeroMechanical Services Ltd.
AeroMechanical Services Ltd. provides proprietary technological solutions and services designed to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the airline industry. The company has successfully patented and commercialized three products and associated services currently marketed to airlines, manufacturers and maintenance organizations around the world. Its premier technology, afirs™ UpTime™, allows airlines to monitor and manage aircraft operations anywhere, anytime, in real-time.
About LynuxWorks
LynuxWorks, a world leader in the embedded software market, is committed to providing open and reliable real-time operating systems (RTOS) and software tools to embedded developers. The company’s LynxOS family of operating systems offers open standards with the highest level of safety and security features, enabling many mission-critical systems in defense, avionics and other industries. Additionally, LynuxWorks’ BlueCat Linux provides the features and support of embedded Linux for companies wanting to use open-source technology for their embedded applications. The Eclipse-based Luminosity IDE gives a powerful and consistent development system across all LynuxWorks operating systems. Since it was established in 1988, LynuxWorks has created technology that has been successfully deployed in thousands of designs and millions of products made by leading communications, avionics, aerospace/defense, and consumer electronics companies. LynuxWorks’ headquarters are located in San José, CA.
LynuxWorks is a trademark and LynxOS and BlueCat are registered trademarks of LynuxWorks, Inc. Other brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective holders. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.