Integrated modular avionics - Past, present, and future

IMA (Integrated Modular Avionics) approaches have been around for 30 years but vary widely in implementation and the extent of both hardware and software levels of unification. The IMA concept, which replaces numerous separate processors and line replaceable units (LRUs) with fewer, more centralized processing units, has led to significant weight reduction and maintenance savings in both military and commercial airborne platforms. The IMA concept for this definition originated in the United States with the F-22 Joint Integrated Avionics Working Group (JIAWG) 30 years ago and then migrated to business jets and commercial transports in the late 1990s. In the last 10 years, the mainstream IMA definition has incorporated time and space partitioned software environments based on the ARINC 653 standard. During this period, software complexity has exploded. The ARINC 653 extended IMA definition has enabled the development of common software infrastructure to enhance complex systems management and enable greater software reuse. In open literature, civil aviation has cornerstone IMA extended examples in the Airbus 380 and Boeing 787 Dream-liner platforms. This article provides a summary of IMA history, presents these new IMA challenges going forward, and summarizes research focus exploring advanced IMA solutions.