Developing the Avionics Integrity Program durability test process

Durability as a measurable, testable figure of merit for electronics was initiated by the US Air Force Aeronautical Systems Division Avionics Integrity Program in the mid-1980s. The durability test is used to verify that the electronic system can operate without failure throughout its intended lifetime under time-varying environmental stresses. The design duty cycle, the basis of the durability test profile, incorporates the life-cycle environmental exposure of a particular electronic system with its designed operation configurations. A case study is presented on developing the design duty cycle and durability test profile for a communications black box on a modern fighter aircraft.<>