Avionics

Avionics are the electronic systems used in aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles to manage communications, navigation, sensing, display, flight control, and engine management. The term combines aviation and electronics and typically refers to the hardware and software that provide pilots with information and automate functions to enhance safety and efficiency.

Core subsystems include flight deck displays (EFIS, EICAS/ECAM), flight management systems (FMS) and autopilot/flight-control computers, navigation systems (GPS, inertial reference, VOR/ILS, RNAV/RNP), communications (VHF/UHF, satellite, data link), surveillance and collision avoidance (ADS-B, TCAS), and aircraft health and power management systems. Integrated modular avionics is a common architecture that consolidates functions on fault-tolerant computer modules.

Historically, avionics began with basic radios and instruments; from the 1950s through the 1970s it evolved with more capable radios and analog systems, and the glass cockpit revolution of the 1970s–1990s introduced digital displays and integrated processing. Modern airliners rely on software-driven, highly integrated suites and often employ fly-by-wire control.

Certification and standards: avionics must meet aviation standards and certification requirements such as DO-178C for software, DO-254 for hardware, and DO-160 for environmental testing; ARINC specifications are widely used for interfaces. Cybersecurity considerations are increasingly addressed by DO-326/DO-326A and related guidance.

Trends point to automated systems, satellite navigation, data-link communications, ADS-B-based surveillance, increased interoperability, and modular upgrade paths in open-architecture avionics.