DO-254 COTS & COTS-IP Online Training (HW-CERT-310)

Course overview

Commercial off-the-shelf components and IP are unavoidable in modern avionics hardware, and A(M)C 20-152A sets specific expectations for them. HW-CERT-310 addresses these objectives head-on.

It lays out practical strategies for demonstrating compliance for COTS components and COTS-IP, including the data you can realistically obtain and how to close the gaps.

What you will learn

• How A(M)C 20-152A treats COTS components and COTS-IP
• The objectives that apply to commercial components and IP
• Strategies to show compliance with limited vendor data
• Managing COTS-IP integration risk
• Documenting COTS substantiation for the authorities

Who should take this course

Experienced hardware and certification engineers handling COTS components or IP on DO-254 programs.

Recommended prerequisite: HW-CERT-101 — DO-254 Overview & PHAC Explanation

Course outline

1. COTS versus COTS-IP — commercial off-the-shelf physical components compared with pre-existing IP cores integrated into a custom device.
2. What A(M)C 20-152A expects — the objectives that apply to commercial components and intellectual property, including substantiation.
3. The data-availability problem — working with limited vendor lifecycle data and the ways to compensate.
4. Integration risk — configuration control, errata management and controlling IP within the device lifecycle.
5. Substantiation — assembling the COTS and COTS-IP compliance argument for the certification authority.

Why COTS and IP are a certification risk

Modern airborne FPGAs and custom devices almost always incorporate commercial parts and vendor IP — memory controllers, high-speed transceivers, soft processor cores and similar blocks. The difficulty is that you rarely receive DO-254 lifecycle data for any of them, so the standard evidence chain of requirements, design and verification is incomplete by default. A(M)C 20-152A added explicit objectives for COTS and COTS-IP precisely because this gap was being handled inconsistently across programs.

The burden on the project is to substantiate that the commercial component or IP is suitable for its design assurance level using whatever evidence is available: vendor data, relevant service experience, analysis, and additional verification performed at the integrated level inside your own device. Underestimating this work is one of the most common late-program surprises in airborne electronic hardware, which is why a deliberate COTS and COTS-IP strategy belongs in your planning, not at the end of verification.

What you will be able to do afterward

After HW-CERT-310 you will be able to classify COTS components and COTS-IP correctly, apply the A(M)C 20-152A objectives that govern them, build a compliance argument when vendor data is limited, and document substantiation that holds up under authority review.

How this course fits your certification path

HW-CERT-310 is an advanced topic that builds on the DO-254 & A(M)C 20-152A overview and the verification approach in HW-CERT-120. For a written primer on the standard, see our DO-254 explained guide. Prefer instructor-led? Explore our full DO-254 training courses.

How on-demand training works

Every ConsuNova module is delivered online and self-paced, so you can learn on your own schedule. Each purchase includes 30-day access with unlimited views and downloads for one user, and a certificate of completion is issued automatically when you finish the module.

Your instructors

This module is authored and delivered by ConsuNova’s senior certification authorities, giving you both FAA and EASA perspectives on compliance:

Reza Madjidi FAA DER Consultant

Provides FAA Designated Engineering Representative expertise on U.S. avionics certification.

Martin Beeby EASA CVE Authorized

Brings EASA Certification Verification Engineer authority on European avionics compliance.

Frequently asked questions