CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Goodrich Corporation's Fuel & Utility Systems division's software development process has achieved a Level 3 rating based on the Capability Maturity Model as defined by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University.

"This is another significant milestone along our path of continuous process improvement," said Rob North, Director of Quality Assurance for the division. "Our customers will benefit from our mastery of the quality assurance and project management processes."

To reach a Level 3 rating Goodrich used the Capability Maturity Model processes to focus on product integrity and project management. Effective implementation of these processes leads to software solutions with exceptional quality, delivered on schedule and that meet the needs of the customer.

Goodrich's Fuel & Utility Systems division produces several product lines, which rely on high integrity software to provide dependable systems such as its Fuel Management Systems, which control the critical center of gravity of an aircraft. In addition, its Fire Protection Systems must accurately detect and suppress engine and cargo bay fires, while avoiding false alarms; and its Proximity Sensing Systems must accurately determine landing gear position and control anti-skid braking systems. The performance of the software systems behind these technologies is critical to the timely dispatch and safe operation of military and commercial aircraft.

An example of a more complex software application produced by Goodrich is its new video-based Cargo Fire Protection and Verification System. The system is able to detect fires more quickly and reliably than older systems. It requires an extremely high level of integrity and complex algorithms to differentiate smoke from atmospheric and contamination effects, while rapidly warning the pilot of a problem. Video systems provide significantly improved fire and smoke detection while avoiding sources of false alarms, such as dust and fog. These advances are possible due to advanced, computationally complex image processing and decision algorithms. Implementing the processes evaluated in the Capability Maturity Model program has streamlined the development of these algorithms.

In addition, Goodrich's Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems include both embedded flight software and ground-based software. As these systems compute aircraft usage, and monitor the condition of engines, transmissions and aircraft systems, the software is required to produce accurate and dependable maintenance information. The latest generation of systems combines Health and Usage Monitoring (HUMS) technology with mechanical diagnostics, flight data recording and maintenance management to create complete fleet management systems. To produce over 1 million lines of code for these systems, it was essential to create an efficient, high quality software development.

Goodrich Fuel & Utility Systems designs and manufactures a wide variety of products including completely integrated systems for the original equipment and retrofit aircraft markets. These military and commercial systems incorporate leading edge technology to reduce aircraft operating costs, improve aircraft safety and increase operational readiness.

Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace and defense industry. If there's an aircraft in the sky - we're on it. Goodrich technology is involved in making aircraft fly ... helping them land ... and keeping them safe. Serving a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities, Goodrich is one of the largest "pure play" aerospace companies in the world. For more information visit http://www.goodrich.com .

SOURCE GR - Electronic Systems