A comparison of fly-fix-fly testing to the software development facility testing approach

New and legacy aircraft weapon systems depend on an increasingly complex verification and validation process to decrease the risks in operation, to increase mission success, and to provide flexibility for rapidly changing mission requirements. In this process, embedded software is a key ingredient for changing, recording, proving, and preserving the usefulness of the weapon system. The increased use of software is placing an increased demand for innovation to capture and observe the impacts of weapon system changes. The heavily relied upon fly-fix-fly testing approach to verification and validation will always have its place, but is losing its effectiveness to affordably, thoroughly and responsively assure the weapon system changes. This paper will provide a comparison of fly-fix-fly testing to the software development facility testing approach.