Title: Reliability analysis of reconfigurable integrated modular avionics: a modelling-based approach

Authors: Changxiao Zhao; Daojun Li; Yi Tian

Addresses: College of Safety Science and Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China ' College of Safety Science and Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China ' College of Safety Science and Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China

Abstract: With the escalating complexity of flight environments and the growing sophistication of avionics capabilities, dynamic reconfiguration has emerged as a critical enabling technology for modern Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) systems. While this reconfigurability enhances operational adaptability, it introduces predictive uncertainties that compromise system reliability and pose significant challenges to aviation safety. This paper presents a novel reliability assessment framework for reconfigurable IMA systems through three key contributions: (1) The reliability evaluation problem of reconfigurable IMA systems is solved by extending the joint (m, k) model to include the prediction uncertainties in the reconstruction process; (2) Quantifying these uncertainties through Bayesian networks provides a more comprehensive reliability assessment framework; (3) The effectiveness of this method is verified by a case study of integrated display function of IMA system. The results show that compared with the traditional model, the proposed method significantly improves the accuracy of reliability evaluation and the system reliability is increased by 38.02%. The proposed framework makes up for the critical defect of uncertainty perceived reliability analysis and provides a reference for optimising reconfiguration strategies in the early development stage of safety-critical avionics systems.

Keywords: complex avionics system architecture; safety-critical system; dynamic reconfiguration mechanism; reliability analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRS.2026.155220

International Journal of Reliability and Safety, 2026 Vol.20 No.3, pp.334 - 361

Received: 04 Nov 2024
Accepted: 09 Jun 2025
Published online: 29 Jul 2026 *

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