U.S. Army testers will get a crack at the software for the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to make sure safety standards are up to par.
The Army’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) has been tapped to “perform independent software safety analyses” of the F-35, according to a U.S. Army release.
The single-engine, single-seat F-35 will be manufactured in three versions: a conventional-takeoff-and-landing variant for the Air Force, an aircraft-carrier variant for the Navy, and a short-takeoff/vertical landing variant for the Marine Corps and the U.K. Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
The Software Airworthiness and Safety Lab, or SASL, which is a part of the Software Engineering Directorate at the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, or AMRDEC, will be responsible for performing an independent assessment of safety-critical software requirements, design and code that is embedded in the F-35 Aircraft operational flight program software. This highly integrated system is comprised of many parts including a propulsion system, weapons system and an autonomic logistics system.
“The F-35 has over 24 million lines of code and is clearly the most complex weapons system ever designed by the DOD,” James Lackey, AMRDEC’s Acting Director, said in a release. “The department’s decision to select the Software Engineering Directorate to provide the independent software safety evaluation speaks highly of our expertise, credibility and our past demonstrated successes.”