Which OS Powers Modern Aircraft? Exploring VxWorks and Integrity-178B

Many people wonder what operating system is used on aircraft. In fact, aviation software is not mysterious; its computer architecture is similar to ordinary computers, consisting of processors, buses, I/O devices, storage, network and communication equipment, an operating system, and application software. The difference lies in the need for extremely high reliability, robustness, and real‑time performance.

1. VxWorks in Boeing 787 and AH‑64

Both the Boeing 787 and the AH‑64 helicopter use the VxWorks real‑time operating system (RTOS). VxWorks was the world’s first RTOS to support container‑based application deployment and its latest version adds OCI container support, enabling modern development and deployment practices without sacrificing determinism and performance.

VxWorks is validated in safety‑critical applications and meets strict certification standards such as EN 50128, IEC 61508, ISO 26262, DO‑178C, and ED‑12C. The VxWorks 653 variant provides a secure, reliable RTOS with strong time‑ and space‑partitioning on ARM, Intel, and PowerPC multicore platforms, and has been proven in over 100 civil and military aircraft.

2. Integrity‑178B in B‑2, F‑16, F‑22, F‑35, Airbus A380

The B‑2 bomber, F‑16, F‑22, F‑35 fighters and the Airbus A380 (and A350) use the Integrity‑178B RTOS. These aircraft interconnect internal equipment via a variant of Ethernet called AFDX, which behaves like ordinary Ethernet at the software level.

Integrity‑178B (and its tuMP variant) is a leading multicore RTOS for safety‑critical and security‑critical applications. It has achieved the highest level of airborne safety certification (DO‑178B/C DAL A) and EAL 6+ security certification, and is the first RTOS to be certified for the FACE™ Technical Standard 3.0 and for multicore certification under DO‑178C and CAST‑32A.

3. From ADA to C++ in modern fighter programs

Historically, many of these systems were programmed in the ADA language. To reduce costs, the F‑35 program has switched to C++ for its software development.

The F‑35’s microprocessor uses the PowerPC instruction set. To ensure reliability, the program often employs the CompCert compiler, which only supports C99 but offers extremely high reliability, helping guarantee that compiled binaries match the source code and avoiding compiler‑induced bugs.

Summary

VxWorks powers the Boeing 787 and AH‑64.

Integrity‑178B powers the B‑2, F‑16, F‑22, F‑35, and Airbus A380.

While earlier aircraft software was written in ADA, the F‑35 now uses C++ to lower development costs and improve reliability.

References:

VxWorks official website: http://www.windriver.com/products/vxworks/

Integrity‑178B official page: https://www.ghs.com/products/safety_critical/integrity_178_tump.html

F‑35 C++ programming guidelines PDF: http://www.stroustrup.com/JSF-AV-rules.pdf