Modular Open System Approach (Mosa) and Ttp-Based Platforms for Aerospace Control Systems

Tight government budget constraints and a rapid technological change contributed to the development of the modular open systems approach (MOSA) as an integrated business and engineering strategy. Such an approach to acquisition makes it possible to leverage the achievements of commercial industries for an effective integration of subsystems and systems. Companies involved in government programs are asked to actively research and analyze the market to identify the technologies, standards, and compliant products for the design of open systems. In the scope of the formal acquisition processes, contractors should evaluate the total lifecycle costs and build a business case for using off-the-shelf technologies, existing standards and open architectures, where feasible and appropriate. Key drivers for such decisions are evolving capability requirements and anticipated technological change over the lifecycle of the system. At present, the increase in operation and support costs of avionics systems can be attributed to insufficient standardization and reduced capability for incremental modernization of available systems. In general MOSA can help to reduce development cycles time and product support costs within an evolutionary acquisition context. It facilitates system engineering for affordable reconfiguration, modernization, and change. From 2004, DoDD 5000.1 directs all acquisition programs to employ MOSA as part of systems engineering (Azani et al., 2005). This paper examines the compliance of time-triggered protocol (TTP), as a technology platform for advanced integrated aerospace control systems, with modular open system approach (MOSA)