Is it Possible to Protect Digitized Avionics Systems from Cyber Attacks?

Is it Possible to Protect Digitized Avionics Systems from Cyber Attacks?

(Photo by Tim Kabel)

Newly created cyber vulnerabilities that focus on digitally interconnected systems are becoming increasingly difficult to prevent, Michael Mehlberg, director of Sales for Star Lab at Wind River, said during a March 11 webinar hosted by Avionics International. 

“Everyone is starting to see how cyberattacks could affect the resiliency of their system,” Mehlberg said. “They’re also starting to see that it’s impossible to keep the bad guys out, and I do mean impossible, which is not really a word that I use, often in cybersecurity, but in the case of a system attack, it’s true.” 

Mehlberg said it is impossible to prevent attacks on the system because there are too many constantly evolving vulnerabilities to protect all of them. 

“Today, attackers are always coming up with new ways of attacking and new attack tools,” Mehlberg said. “In fact, I looked up this morning as of December 18, 2020. There were 17,447 new vulnerabilities discovered last year, and 4,177 of those were considered high severity attacks. These tools have only gotten better today, and many of them are actually free, which means anyone with an internet connection can download these tools and use them for nefarious purposes.” 

The key to protecting systems from attackers is to assume they are already in the system, Mehlberg said. 

“What do we do, we have to assume that they’re already in the system,” Mehlberg said. “Many of those attacks try to get root administrative access to the box. They try to exploit some line of code or some bug. They try and pivot through the system until they have administrative privileges, at which point they can do anything that they want. And because of the way we currently deploy software once the adversary is in once they have root access, they can do whatever they want.” 

Because cybersecurity experts can predict that attackers are already in the system, they can focus on protecting fundamental embedded elements of the system to protect those actors from accessing critical data or information. 

“What it does mean is that we adhere to some fundamental embedded system security principles that will protect the system from attack, even if the attacker gains access,” Mehlberg said. 

Mehlberg said these principles include data at rest, secure boot, attack surface reduction, hardware resource partition, secure comms, least privilege and mac, data input validation, secure build configurations, container and isolation, and integrity monitor and auditing. These principles can be broken up into categories according to states: data at rest, data through boot, data during operation, and data in motion. 

“We want to continue after the data at rest, after the secure boot, to guarantee that the applications we’re running and the data we’re using are authentic,” Mehlberg said. “To do that, we need to make sure that the attacker can’t only get in but if they do, they still don’t have the means or the privileges to modify the system or system to their liking. If we’ve properly hardened the system from these types of attacks, then we can look to securing our applications and data as they move around, which is the last stage of our system and its operational states.” 

The post Is it Possible to Protect Digitized Avionics Systems from Cyber Attacks? appeared first on Aviation Today.

Check FastApn access for commercial satcoms at Fastapn

Flytlink – Avionics, Satcom’s and IFE Consultants

What’s Trending in Aerospace – March 14, 2021

Check out the March 14 edition of What’s Trending in Aerospace, where editors and contributors for Avionics International bring you some of the latest headlines and updates happening across the global aerospace industry.

Commercial

US Aviation Industry Gets Billions in Relief Under New Covid Bill

Aftermarket avionics maintenance and repair providers such as Elliott Aviation’s Milan, Illinois facility pictured here, are eligible for payroll support funding under U.S. government’s new $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. (Elliott Aviation)

U.S. lawmakers passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Wednesday March 10, including billions in government-backed payroll support funding to airlines, airports, aviation manufacturers and maintenance providers.

Provisions within the American Rescue Plan Act establish a $3 billion payroll support program within the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide grants to eligible manufacturers and their suppliers to maintain their workforce during the pandemic, according to a General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) press release praising the new bill. The temporary program would require cost-sharing of 50 percent by employers and 50 percent by the federal government, and funds would be directed to an eligible employee group comprising not more than 25 percent of the company’s U.S. workforce engaged in aviation manufacturing or maintenance, repair and overhaul activities.

“Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the general aviation industry. Some of the hardest hit segments include our manufacturers, maintenance providers, the supply chain and their respective workforces. We appreciate the work done by Congress to help companies and their workers address the challenges they continue to face,” Pete Bunce, GAMA’s President and CEO said in a press statement. “This program will help strengthen our fragile supply chain, keep highly skilled workers in the industry, as well as support some of the smaller companies that need assistance to maintain operations.”

Delta Goes Contactless for In-flight Payments

Delta Air Lines is introducing tap-to-pay technology for onboard passenger purchases.

On March 16, Delta Air Lines will start using tap-to-pay technology to enable contactless payment for onboard purchases. Customers will be able to purchase earbuds on board using their mobile devices or contactless-enabled credit cards, according to a March 10 press release.

Contactless payment will expand to all onboard sales as more food and beverage options are re-introduced. The new system also allows for emailed receipts.

The airline is also testing digital seatback menus on select international flights with plans to expand the feature across its fleet. A new electronic Delta One menu, is also currently accessible via personal seatback screens on Airbus A330 flights.

Qantas Trials New Digital Health Pass on Repatriation Flights

Qantas tested its first customer trial of the CommonPass digital health app on an international repatriation flight from Frankfurt to Darwin last week.

This follows a successful internal trial of the app with the Australian carrier’s flight crew last month. The CommonPass smartphone app offers a digital method for verifying COVID test results and vaccination information to border or health officials and airline staff.

The app connects customers to certified testing labs so that results can be uploaded to the platform and customers can show they have proof of a negative COVID test result before their flight, which is a requirement on all repatriation flights Qantas is operating on behalf of the Australian Government.

“During the trial, customers traveling on our international repatriation flights are being invited to download the CommonPass app on their device. Longer term we’d like to integrate the technology with our existing Qantas app so that our customers can manage all parts of their journey in the one place,” Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said in a press statement.

FAA Extends Comment Period on Noise Research to April 

Sources of noise during helicopter flights. (GAO)

The comment period for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) aircraft noise research will continue until April 14, 2021, the agency announced in a March 11 press release. 

The FAA is conducting research on how aircraft noise affects the public. One effort, known as the Neighborhood Environmental Survey, looked specifically at how communities responded to noise and included over 10,000 responses from people living near 20 airports, according to the release. 

Included in their notice to extend the public comment period, FAA included the results of a survey with responses from over 10,000 people living near 20 airports across the country.

The agency has identified three key areas to investigate further on the impact of aircraft noise on the general public:

• Effects of Aircraft Noise on Individuals and Communities;
• Noise Modeling, Noise Metrics, and Environmental Data Visualization; and
• Reduction, Abatement, and Mitigation of Aviation Noise?

Widerøe Joins Rolls-Royce and Tecnam Partnership to Launch All-Electric Aircraft Service

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership to develop the P-Volt, an 11-seat all-electric aircraft, which could be advantageous for short take-off and landing routes often traveled on the north and west coasts of Norway. (Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce, Tecnam, and Widerøe are partnering to launch an all-electric passenger-carrying aircraft for the commuter aircraft market in Scandinavia, according to a March 11 release. The aircraft is projected by the three companies to start commercial service in 2026.

“We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator, but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero-emissions aircraft into service,” Andreas Aks, chief strategy officer at Widerøe, said in a statement. “Our mission is to have all new capabilities, processes and procedures required for a zero-emissions operator, designed and approved in parallel with the aircraft being developed and certified.”

Norway has committed to making all domestic flights zero emissions by 2040. Widerøe alone flies 400 flights per day, 75 percent of which are less than 275 km, according to the release.

“Norway’s extensive network of short take-off and landing airports is ideal for zero-emissions technologies,” Stein Nilsen, chief executive at Widerøe, said in a press statement. “This aircraft shows how quickly new technology can and will be developed, and that we are on track with our ambition of flying with zero emissions around 2025.”

Business and General Aviation 

King Air 260 Earns FAA Type Certification

Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air 260 achieved FAA type certification last week. (Textron Aviation)

Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air 260 has achieved Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification, according to a March 10 press release.

The Wichita, Kansas-based general aviation manufacturer’s upgraded turboprop features a new cockpit with the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle system and digital pressurization controller among other technologies.

Military

Aerojet Rocketdyne Shareholders Approve Deal With Lockheed Martin

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s stockholders have approved the $4.4 billion sale of the company to Lockheed Martin, clearing a hurdle on the deal that is still expected to close in the second half of 2021. Lockheed Martin announced the deal in December, and said it will lead to better integrated end products and improved manufacturing,

The transaction still needs federal antitrust approval.

The pending deal is getting scrutinized by the federal government. In February, Lockheed Martin said the Federal Trade Commission had requested additional information about the acquisition as part of the regulatory review.

F-35 Flies in Denmark 

Denmark’s first F-35 Lightning II, L-001, took its inaugural flight this week, Lockheed Martin announced in a March 10 press release. Denmark is the fifth NATO nation to fly the aircraft. 

“Achieving the first flight of Denmark’s first F-35 is major milestone for the Denmark F-35 program and a testament to the outstanding abilities of our dedicated and highly trained joint industry and government team,”  Bill Brotherton, acting F-35 vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin, said in a statement.  “This team’s focus on delivering the most effective, survivable and connected fighter in the world will ensure the sovereign protection of Denmark and strengthen allies and partners through the NATO F-35 coalition.”

The Royal Danish Air Force will receive L-001 in April and pilot and maintainer training will take place later in 2021 at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, according to the release.

Collins to Provide Avionics Logistics for Royal Netherlands CH-47F Fleet

Under a new multi-year performance-based logistics contracts, Collins Aerospace will provide avionics support for the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s (RNLAF) fleet of 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

Collins Aerospace will provide field service engineering, program management, logistics service and repair and overhaul for the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) components installed on the aircraft at the Gilze-Rijen Air Base, in the Netherlands.

Army Tests SC2 on UAV

The Army conducted the first acceptance test procedure (ATP) flights for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.’s (GA ASI) scalable command and control (SC2) software, according to a March 10 release. The flight tests were conducted on GA ASI’s Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). 

“SC2 represents a massive reduction in emplacement, mission launch time and overall footprint size,” GA-ASI Vice President of Strategic Development J.R. Reid said in a statement. “The SC2 software could be part of the Army’s Ground Modernization plan replacing the Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) with rugged laptops and tactical servers enabling more mobile operations in a defined Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) framework.”

SC2 was installed on an Army laptop and was able to successfully complete all test points during the 3.8 hour test flight, according to the release. The software operates autonomously while still allowing operates to take over when necessary which the Army refers to as supervised autonomy. It also meets MOSA standards. 

PrecISR Passes Factory Acceptance Test 

HENSOLDT’s airborne multi-mission surveillance radar, PrecISR, pass the Factory Acceptance Test, according to a March 10 release from the company. PrecISR will be used on the Pilatus PC-12. 

HENSOLDT’s radar can be used on helicopters, unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs), and fixed-wing aircraft and can complete different tasks at the same time, according to the release. It has a compact design with software-defined modes, and electronic beam steering. 

Unmanned

Remote ID for UAS Delayed Until April 

While waiting for implementation of remote ID, many UTM providers are working with airspace awareness partners to include and distinguish non-cooperative drone traffic in their common operating picture.

The final rule Remote Identification (Remote ID) for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is delayed until April 21, 2021 because of a January memorandum from the assistant to the president and chief of staff calling for a regulatory freeze so the new administration can review new or pending rules. The delay was announced in a March 10 press release.

While a delay often reopens the comment period for a rule, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will not be accepting further comments. 

“A delay in the effective date of the final rule, Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft, is essential for the President’s appointees and designees to have adequate time to review the rule before it takes effect, and neither the notice and comment process nor the delayed effective date could be implemented in time to allow for this review, thereby making notice and comment impracticable,” the rule states. “In addition, notice and comment on this delay is unnecessary because the delay is short, the effective dates remain aligned with the Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems over People final rule, and there is no change to the policy effectuated by the Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft final rule. This delay is insignificant in its nature and impact, and inconsequential to the regulated community and to the public.” 

The post What’s Trending in Aerospace – March 14, 2021 appeared first on Aviation Today.

Check FastApn access for commercial satcoms at Fastapn

Flytlink – Avionics, Satcom’s and IFE Consultants

Gogo Delays 5G In-flight Connectivity Network Deployment to 2022

Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne says their software-centric AVANCE technology is the company’s “hidden gem” to unlocking 5G connectivity on business aircraft. (Gogo)

Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne told investors that the in-flight connectivity (IFC) service provider will deploy its 5G network a year later than planned during the company’s March 11 fourth quarter 2020 earnings call.

Thorne’s comments come in the third month of Gogo’s first year as an all-business aviation company, after the sale of its commercial aviation business to Intelsat was completed in December 2020. Gogo’s 5G network will become accessible to business aviation operators in North America as a single channel, combining their existing network’s 4 megahertz of licensed spectrum with 60 megahertz of 2.4 unlicensed spectrum.

The company’s new 5G network will leverage the existing 250 towers that enable its current 3G and 4G IFC network service on business jets today. The 5G network will use an unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4 GHz band, with a new modem and beamforming technology providing the airplane-to-ground station link.

“We’re extremely pleased with the progress our team and our partners Cisco, Airspan, and FIRST RF have made on this project. However, as is true of many projects in the telecom and satellite space our schedule has slipped, primarily because of a supply chain delay for one particular microchip. And we now expect to deploy the network in 2022 instead of 2021,” Thorne said.

Thorne also provided more details on how 5G will be enabled onboard business jets that are equipped with their AVANCE platform. AVANCE, enabled by a modem, and antennas, integrates a range of smart cabin features, and includes a built-in smart router that operators can manipulate for cockpit data as well as in-flight texting or calling.

“I don’t think we’ve done justice to how AVANCE is truly a software-centric platform,” Thorne said, referring to how Gogo has marked AVANCE in recent years. “So, what do we mean by software-centric? We mean that like Apple, where iOS is the operating system for all of their devices, AVANCE is our operating system and all of our devices whether L3 or L5 on the plane, our applications in the ground, on the ground – in the cloud on the ground, they all run on the same software.”

When 5G becomes available, business jet users could also use AVANCE to access multiple networks through one central in-flight portal.

Gogo’s 5G concept of operations.

“As I mentioned with 5G, it can aggregate multiple bearers or multiple networks into one channel, or SSID [Service Set IDentifier], if one wants to expand capacity for certain users on the airplane. It’s engineered to be extensible, easily supporting the addition of new products and features, which soon we’ll be able to load over the air,” Thorne said.

Selling their commercial aviation division to Intelsat has also already proven to have come at a great time for Gogo as well. Gogo entered 2020 with 5,669 subscribers to its North American IFC network and finished the year increasing that number to 5,778.

Among business jets equipped with Gogo in North American airspace, flight activity for both charter and fractional operators was up through the end of February. Corporate flight departments also completed 75 percent of their February 2020 flight counts, according to Thorne.

Overall average Gogo data consumption per flight through the first two months of the year was also 20 percent above the average consumption that occurred during the same period a year ago.

“Though the business aviation market is relatively small compared to other mobility verticals, it holds a lot of opportunity for a niche-focused company like Gogo. 66 percent of the world’s business aircraft are registered in North America,” Thorne said. “And more than 70 percent of those roughly 18,000 aircraft do not yet have broadband in-flight connectivity. For the last five years, Gogo has added an average net of 400 aircraft online per year and we feel we can sustain that pace or a little better over our five-year planning horizon.”

The post Gogo Delays 5G In-flight Connectivity Network Deployment to 2022 appeared first on Aviation Today.

Check FastApn access for commercial satcoms at Fastapn

Flytlink – Avionics, Satcom’s and IFE Consultants

Widerøe Joins Rolls-Royce and Tecnam Partnership to Launch All-Electric Aircraft Service

Rolls-Royce, Tecnman, and Widerøe are partnering to launch an all-electric passenger-carrying aircraft for the commuter aircraft market in Scandinavia. (Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce, Tecnman, and Widerøe are partnering to launch an all-electric passenger-carrying aircraft for the commuter aircraft market in Scandinavia, according to a March 11 release. The aircraft would start service in 2026. 

“We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator, but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero-emissions aircraft into service,” Andreas Aks, chief strategy officer at Widerøe, said in a statement. “Our mission is to have all new capabilities, processes and procedures required for a zero-emissions operator, designed and approved in parallel with the aircraft being developed and certified.”

Norway has committed to making all domestic flights zero emissions by 2040. Widerøe alone flies 400 flights per day 75 percent of which are less than 275 km, according to the release. 

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership to develop the P-Volt, an 11-seat all-electric aircraft, which could be advantageous for short take-off and landing routes often traveled on the north and west coasts of Norway. (Rolls-Royce)

“Norway’s extensive network of short take-off and landing airports is ideal for zero-emissions technologies,” Stein Nilsen, chief executive at Widerøe, said in a statement. “This aircraft shows how quickly new technology can and will be developed, and that we are on track with our ambition of flying with zero emissions around 2025.”

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership to develop the P-Volt, an 11-seat all-electric aircraft, which could be advantageous for short take-off and landing routes often traveled on the north and west coasts of Norway, according to the release. 

“It is incredible to see the interest around the P-Volt, not only coming from regional airlines, but also from smart mobility-based companies,” Fabio Russo, chief project R&D and product development at Tecnam, said in a press statement. “This last year has demonstrated the importance of promoting capillary connections between small communities while reducing the congestion of the main hubs. The P-Volt, like the P2012 Traveller today, will perfectly fit the scope of this program. We are honored and pleased to see the level of enthusiasm Widerøe and our partner Rolls-Royce are dedicating to this project.”

Rolls-Royce and Widerøe also had a previous partnership from 2019 to develop electrical aircraft, according to the release. 

“Electrification will help us deliver our ambition to enable the markets in which we operate achieve net-zero carbon by 2050,” Rob Watson, director of Rolls-Royce Electrical, said in a statement. “This collaboration strengthens our existing relationships with Tecnam and Widerøe as we look to explore what is needed to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market. It also demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s ambitions to be the leading supplier of all-electric and hybrid-electric propulsion and power systems across multiple aviation markets.”

The post Widerøe Joins Rolls-Royce and Tecnam Partnership to Launch All-Electric Aircraft Service appeared first on Aviation Today.

Check FastApn access for commercial satcoms at Fastapn

Flytlink – Avionics, Satcom’s and IFE Consultants

AiRanger Unmanned Aircraft Gets Sagetech’s Detect and Avoid System

Sagetech Avionics and American Aerospace have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate a detect and avoid system on the AiRanger unmanned aircraft. (Sagetech)

Sagetech Avionics and American Aerospace ISR (AA ISR) are partnering to integrate Sagetech’s Detect and Avoid (DAA) system on AA ISR’s AiRanger unmanned aircraft system (UAS), according to a March 10 press release from the company. 

The prototype will begin testing by the end of 2021 with a certifiable prototype ready in Q1 of 2022, according to the release. 

“Through the commercialization of our DAA capability, partnerships like our work with AA ISR on the NASA SIO help inform the appropriate physical configuration, such as interfacing with airborne sensors like radar, and ensuring the performance of the system meets the needs of the AiRanger platform as well as the intent of NASA’s integration efforts,” Tom Furey, CEO of Sagetech Avionics, told Avionics International via email. “Once the system is complete, it will be compatible with most aircraft platforms without special modification requirements.” 

Furey said Sagetech’s DAA system which at its core is an Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) will be certifiable by the Federal Aviation Administration to TSO-c211. 

“As members of various RTCA and ASTM committees, we help both inform the standards-making bodies of technological capabilities, and design our products to meet the emerging standards,” Furey said. “Other systems identifying themselves as Detect and Avoid solutions are really sensors, which will provide input into a certifiable, ACAS-based solution.” 

The DAA system uses a transponder, interrogator, an ACAS-based DAA computer, software package, and other essential components, according to the release. 

“ACAS takes cooperative traffic input from passive or active surveillance sensors, which are part of our solution and ensure compatibility with manned aircraft in the NAS [national airspace],” Furey said. “Other input comes from non-cooperative sensors such as radar, EO/IR, or acoustic sensors, which are third-party sensors.  The ACAS/DAA system then fuses these sensor inputs, and provides avoidance maneuvers based on sophisticated algorithms developed by MIT Lincoln Labs and Johns Hopkins APL and approved by the FAA.”

The addition of Sagetech’s DAA system on AA ISR UAS will get the AiRanger closer to receiving type certification from the FAA. 

“Type certifications require proving the safety of the entire aircraft solution to the FAA,” Furey said. “Using components that can be TSO’d (FAA component level certification) simplifies the certification process by eliminating the need to prove the efficacy of individual subsystems. A certifiable DAA system will be critical to type certifications which allow routine BVLOS [beyond visual line of sight] operations in the NAS [National Airspace System].” 

The post AiRanger Unmanned Aircraft Gets Sagetech’s Detect and Avoid System appeared first on Aviation Today.

Check FastApn access for commercial satcoms at Fastapn

Flytlink – Avionics, Satcom’s and IFE Consultants