Understanding DO-254 and AMC 20-152A for safety and compliance with the latest aviation regulations.
Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware (DO-254) is a standard set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the United States. It provides a framework for the development and certification of electronic hardware used in airborne systems. Compliance with DO-254 is mandatory for any electronic hardware that is part of a critical aviation function.
AMC 20-152A is a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidance material that aligns with DO-254. It provides additional guidelines and recommendations for the development and certification of airborne electronic hardware in Europe. DO-254/AMC 20-152A compliance is necessary for aircraft manufacturers seeking to market their products globally.
Aircraft manufacturers need to establish a comprehensive set of processes and procedures to ensure that all aspects of the hardware design and development are properly documented and verified, including requirements capture, design implementation, verification, configuration management, and traceability. Compliance with DO-254/AMC 20-152A also requires the use of specific tools to perform tasks, such as requirements management, configuration management, and verification, as well as adopting a hardware development lifecycle that includes design documents, test plans, verification records, and configuration management records, to ensure that all aspects of the hardware development process are well-documented and can be audited for compliance.