EXTENDING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING FOR SAFETY‐CRITICAL DEFENCE APPLICATIONS

Abstract

AbstractDefence sector applications are often characterised by a high level of complexity: in the technical systems involved, in their management and supply chain arrangements, and in the dynamic nature of the risks involved. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 is well established as a standard that provides a common set of life cycle processes and terminology for engineering complex systems. However, it takes a generic approach that does not directly address the needs of systems with a safety impact. In contrast, safety‐specific standards like IEC 61508 provide a well‐known framework for the functional safety of electrical, electronic, and programmable electronic safety‐related systems, but do not address the complexity commonly found in systems in the defence sector.In IEC 63187‐1, the International Electrotechnical Commission is drafting a new standard to provide a safety framework for defence applications. It uses modern systems engineering principles that build on ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, extending it with requirements to make it appropriate for critical systems in the defence sector. This paper discusses how IEC 63187‐1 uses ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 to achieve the goals of system safety, why this approach was adopted, the expected benefits and some of the impacts of designing the new safety framework this way.