Devops for avionics software

Reading time: 6 to 8 minutes - May 2026

The development of avionics embedded software is subject to extremely stringent safety requirements. Standards such as DO-178C / ED-12C impose rigorous processes to ensure that any software deployed in a safety-critical system will never compromise flight safety.

Historically, these requirements have led to the adoption of V-model development cycles : heavy, linear processes that are poorly aligned with today’s needs for agility, innovation, and cost control. In a context where systems evolve rapidly, requirements change during projects, and economic pressure continues to grow, this model is clearly reaching its limits.

The academic paper on which this article is based demonstrates that it is not only possible but highly beneficial to integrate Agile and DevOps practices into the development of certifiable avionics software by adopting a new paradigm: continuous certification.

The V-model remains the historical reference in avionics, largely because it structures specification, development, verification, and validation activities in a way that aligns with certification authority expectations (EASA, FAA, DGA).

However, the paper highlights several major drawbacks:

• Certification addressed too late: compliance activities are often postponed until the end of the project, leading to significant cost overruns during audits.
• Lack of flexibility: any change in requirements triggers expensive redesign and requalification efforts.
• Tunnel effect: customers and certification authorities only see the software very late in the process, increasing the risk of functional misalignment.
• Heavy documentation burden: producing certification evidence becomes an objective in itself, sometimes disconnected from the actual quality of the software.

The outcome is predictable: longer projects, higher costs, and extreme pressure during final certification phases.

The proposed concept of continuous certification is based on a simple yet powerful idea: every software increment must be “certification-ready” at any time.

To achieve this, the authors define a hybrid framework combining:

• Agile (Scrum): short sprints, achievable goals, continuous visibility.
• DevOps: automated testing, integration, and deployment.
• Extreme Programming (XP): pair programming, strict coding standards, test-driven development.

Core pillars of the proposed framework

• Ticket-based management: every requirement, test, review, and change is formally tracked.
• Native bidirectional traceability: requirements ↔ tests ↔ code ↔ results.
• Independent reviews by design: fully compliant with DAL A/B requirements.
• Systematic automation: unit tests, integration tests, coverage analysis, static analysis.
• Continuous compliance evidence: not just before audits, but throughout development.

This approach transforms certification into an integral part of the development flow, rather than a late-stage constraint.

The theoretical framework is validated through a real industrial case study: the Linty solution.

What is Linty?
Linty is a VHDL code analysis tool designed for safety-critical environments, particularly certifiable FPGA developments under DO-254.
It automatically verifies compliance with recognized standards such as:

• CNES VHDL Handbook
• DO-254 User Group Best Practices

Why Linty is a compelling example

Linty itself must meet extremely high reliability standards, as it is used to assess DAL A FPGA designs. This implies:

• Precise specification of every coding rule
• Fully automated unit and integration testing
• Independent reviews of all changes
• Complete qualification and traceability

Linty + DevOps + Continuous Certification

By applying the proposed framework:

• Each VHDL rule is developed through formalized tickets
• Reviews are enforced via Pull / Merge Requests
• Tests are executed automatically using GitHub Actions
• Code quality is continuously monitored (e.g., SonarQube)
• Deployment is automated to the Linty platform

➡️ The result is a fully functional, certifiable DevOps pipeline, where development cycles can take less than an hour for simple rules.

Continuous certification does not challenge existing standards. On the contrary, it:

✅ Fully complies with DO-178C / ED-12C
✅ Improves intrinsic software quality
✅ Reduces certification costs and timelines
✅ Simplifies audits
✅ Increases trust from certification authorities

The main barriers are organizational rather than technical: cultural change, skills development, and regulatory acceptance. However, industrial experiments—such as the Linty case clearly demonstrate that this approach is realistic, operational, and highly effective.