Software Solutions

Working mostly in the area of unmanned or optionally piloted aircraft, 5-D Systems develops flight-critical and mission-critical air vehicle software for defense and aerospace systems. Our experience includes target systems including the BQM-167 and 5GAT, optionally piloted aircraft such as the QF-4 and A-10C, and manned aircraft including the 737 flying testbed aircraft.

Flight Control

5-D Systems develops flight control software from a clean sheet to support new aircraft, prototype aircraft; new software features to integrate for new and existing aircraft; and feature modifications to flight control software already in deployed use.

Vehicle Subsystem Control and Reporting

Coupled with our flight control development, 5-D Systems develops and provides vehicle subsystem control and reporting software. These software interfaces control a variety of aircraft subsystems such as engines, landing gear, command and telemetry systems, payloads, and ancillary systems. The software also interfaces avionic subsystems to support flight control, log aircraft state, and provide real-time aircraft telemetry and status.

Navigation Systems

5-D Systems develops a strap-down navigation system for UAVs from high-performance, high dynamic jet systems, to high stability low dynamic sensor platform systems.

As a developer of aircraft flight control software, 5-D Systems develops custom test execution software as a natural outgrowth of that capability. 5-D Systems develops testing solutions for both our own hardware and software products as well as other systems from customers’ designs.

Test Automation

In designing and constructing test sets, 5-D Systems typically designs test execution software that provides a host of automation capabilities designed to enhance the repeatability and accuracy of the test being conducted.

Built-In Test for Single Board Computers (SBC)

At the other end of the testing spectrum, 5-D Systems develops built-in-test (BIT) suites for embeddable SBC, typically intended for rugged and/or aircraft environments. These BIT suites verify the operation of an SBC’s internals and its peripherals and provide the test results to the end-user or store them in non-volatile memory for later retrieval.

5-D Systems develops modeling and simulation software as both standalone end-to-end simulations, and individual component models designed to integrate within a larger simulation context. With respect to implementation, 5-D develops simulations and components using languages and toolsets ranging from native C++ (i.e. independent of a simulation-specific framework) to Matlab/Simulink.

Aircraft Simulations

5-D Systems develops full, six degree-of-freedom models/simulations of aircraft, modeling not only the handling and performance qualities but also the behavior of the aircraft’s subsystems. When working in Matlab/Simulink environments, 5-D Systems often uses Simulink features to directly incorporate autopilot flight control code as compiled; native code into these models. 5-D Systems also maintains aircraft simulations developed for other purposes and adapts them to provide real-time behavior in stand-alone, desktop environments.

Environment and Sensor Models

5-D Systems develops models of specific aircraft environments and sensors to support and integrate with existing simulations. Some examples of these environments have included wind and turbulence models that support real-time control for training purposes and real-time terrain height modeling that dynamically pulls from a digital terrain database. In terms of sensor modeling, 5-D collects and analyzes data from aircraft sensors in order to accurately characterize and replicate sensor behavior in a simulated environment, for both desktop and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) contexts.