Agile or V-Model – Can Modern it Frameworks and Tools Deliver Software Assurance for ATM-Grade Applications

Modern software systems are being built using interconnected commercial frameworks, integration platforms (e.g. Docker, Spring, Spark, Hadoop, Kubernetes) and enterprise resources (Cloud SaaS/PaaS, software defined networks, edge computing). At the same time, new aerospace and air traffic management (ATM) capabilities like Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), and Remote Towers are becoming commonplace and are merging with traditional ATM. Also, the rise of commercial space brings fresh user communities vying to enter the market faster.This creates tension for ATM regulators and service providers such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, ANSPs abroad as well as future service providers in the emerging AAM domain to certify that their systems are safe to operate and will not create safety or security issues for their existing and emerging airspace users. ATM safety standards and guidelines are well defined and spelled out for instance in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification specification CS25 as well as the United States RTCA DO-278A. Security standards are laid out by NIST as well as ISO tailored to the ATM domain. Adherence to these standards is paramount for any new software applications. Developers are pushed to find ways to provide these software assurances in the light of modern agile software development methods. Incremental and iterative approaches have become the standard in commercial software development, while the safety-based approach in ATM agencies still prefers the classic V-modelThis paper addresses the challenges software developers face when delivering modern ATM-grade applications faster, while ensuring the safety and security of the ATC system.We analyze the different agile frameworks in modern software development such as Scrum, SAFe, LESS among others and how to align them with the aforementioned software assurance standards. A best practices example provides insights how this is being achieved in the ATM tower domain.