How Rochester Electronics Keeps Certified Avionics Flying
Lifecycle support for commercial aviation
Commercial aviation is amid the largest order backlog in its history — about 17,000 aircraft, with a projected 12-year delivery runway. That's a tremendous growth opportunity, but it also means avionics programs designed around yesterday's semiconductor supply chain now must remain in certified production for decades longer than anyone planned
The challenge: when a flight computer's chip reaches end of life, manufacturers can't simply swap in a newer commercial part. Every substitution must pass a DO-254 review, and the difference between a "minor" and "major" change classification can mean weeks of paperwork — or a multi-year, multi-million-dollar requalification campaign that threatens the program itself.
So how do you replace a discontinued chip without triggering that outcome? It comes down to how you build the replacement — a distinction most component suppliers can't meet.
Our latest white paper breaks down:
- Why technology replication, not translation, is the key to minor-change classification
- How obsolescence hits silicon, packaging, and legacy architectures like PowerPC all at once
- What airframe OEM qualification teams actually require to accept a minor-change submission
- How Rochester Electronics is keeping flight computers, engine controllers, and cockpit displays in production for the world's largest aerospace manufacturers
Download Rochester’s white paper to see how a lifecycle partner can keep your program certified — and on schedule.
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