RTCA DO-332 / EUROCAE ED-217 — Object-Oriented Technology and Related Techniques Supplement to DO-178C

DO-332

Section 07: The Big Standards Map

Definition

A supplement to DO-178C that provides additional guidance for the use of object-oriented technology (OOT) and related techniques in airborne software. DO-332 addresses the specific concerns that OOT introduces — including inheritance, polymorphism, dynamic dispatch, overloading, type conversion, exception handling, and templates/generics — and defines additional objectives to ensure these features do not compromise software development assurance. The supplement includes guidance on OOT-specific structural coverage criteria, such as subtype and dynamic coupling measures.

Where This Shows Up

Object-oriented programming languages (C++, Java, Ada 2012) offer powerful abstraction mechanisms but also introduce complexities that can obscure program behavior — particularly polymorphism and dynamic dispatch, where the code path at runtime depends on the object type. DO-332 ensures that these OOT-specific complexities are addressed through additional verification objectives, traceability requirements, and structural coverage analysis.

Primary Sources

RTCA DO-332 (2011) — Object-Oriented Technology and Related Techniques Supplement

The primary document defining additional objectives for OOT in airborne software development.

Related Terms

RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C — Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification (DO-178C)RTCA DO-331 / EUROCAE ED-218 — Model-Based Development and Verification Supplement to DO-178C and DO-278A (DO-331)RTCA DO-333 / EUROCAE ED-216 — Formal Methods Supplement to DO-178C (DO-333)

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