Reflecting RTCA’s more than 83-years’ worth of experience as the premiere aviation standards organization and leading provider of standards for aircraft system security, Special Committee 216, Aeronautical Systems Security, recently issued Airworthiness Security Methods and Considerations (DO-356A). This document capped a two-year effort by dedicated industry volunteers and FAA and government experts to provide testing requirements needed for certifying security for installed aircraft systems that will be connected to the aircraft electronic network as defined in RTCA document, Airworthiness Security Process Specification (DO-326A).

Development of this important guidance document was a cooperative effort with EUROCAE, RTCA’s counterpart in Europe, to ensure global harmonization of the recommended methods for procedures, analysis, and tests.

The committee membership included a diverse group of experts from aircraft manufacturers (general aviation and commercial fixed wing and rotorcraft), avionics companies, airlines, universities, airline pilot and flight attendant representatives, MITRE, government agencies (NASA, DoD, Department of National Defence of Canada, FAA), and other civil aviation authorities (EASA, Transport Canada).

RTCA has a comprehensive library of minimum performance standards and guidance materials that become a partial basis of FAA regulations for aviation systems and equipage. They are produced by committees of volunteers representing the interested and relevant stakeholders. For more information see https://www.rtca.org/content/publications.