Model-Based Software Development (MBSD) has become an important approach for designing and verifying increasingly complex avionics applications. At the same time, Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architectures based on ARINC 653 provide the strong partitioning and isolation required for Safety-critical airborne systems.

Bringing these two worlds together, however, is not always straightforward. While tools such as MATLAB Simulink support efficient model-based development, integrating generated applications into heterogeneous ARINC 653 partitions can still require considerable manual effort—particularly when defining and maintaining Inter-Partition Communication (IPC).

This creates an integration gap between high-level functional models and the underlying partitioned avionics platform.

Our whitepaper explores an automated approach to bridging this gap. Based on PikeOS and deployed on the DLR Small Avionics Computer (DSAC), the presented workflow combines MATLAB Simulink-based flight control applications with C-based hardware interface partitions.

A key element is the automated generation of Simulink Adapter Models, helping synchronize IPC interfaces, data structures, and communication definitions across heterogeneous partitions. This reduces manual integration effort and supports a more scalable development workflow as avionics architectures evolve.

The research demonstrates how model-based development, automated interface generation, and ARINC 653 partitioning can be brought together within a practical flight-control software platform—and provides a foundation for further work toward certifiable airborne systems.

Download the Whitepaper