The IDEA project, funded under the German federal grant 20Y1712C, ran from January 2019 to December 2022 and was led by Philotech GmbH. Its core objective was to advance the development of complex, reliable, and maintainable software‑intensive avionics systems for the German aerospace industry, with a particular focus on integrating safety and security processes at the system level. Philotech’s contribution was concentrated in two of the four sub‑projects: TP 3, which dealt with application cases, and TP 4, which addressed cross‑cutting topics. The work was carried out in close collaboration with other industry partners and research institutions, all of whom contributed to harmonising safety and security activities and to the implementation of the Airworthiness Security Process as defined in DO‑326A, DO‑356A, and DO‑355.

Technically, the project achieved a successful virtual‑to‑physical deployment of an intrusion detection system (IDS) prototype. The IDS was able to process MAVLINK messages, the standard communication protocol for unmanned aerial vehicles, and to detect a wide range of misuse scenarios. In the evaluation phase, almost all identified threat cases could be recognised by the IDS, demonstrating the feasibility of using IDS solutions for real‑time threat detection in UAV operations. The prototype also incorporated a distributed IDS infrastructure, laying the groundwork for a future Avionic Security Operations Center (SOC) that would monitor and respond to security incidents across multiple aircraft systems.

A significant scientific contribution of the project was the systematic exploration of synergies between safety and security. The team applied Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) from the safety domain and Threat Analysis and Risk Assessment (TARA) from the security domain to the same system artefacts. This dual‑analysis approach revealed mutual dependencies: safety‑critical functions often required deeper security scrutiny, while detailed threat modelling could generate system states that needed safety reassessment. The resulting threat‑modeling framework, illustrated in the project’s documentation, enabled the identification of system states that could compromise safety, thereby informing both safety and security risk mitigation strategies. The integration of these analyses into a unified workflow reduced the overall effort required for compliance with DO‑326A and DO‑356A, and provided a repeatable methodology for future projects.

The project also produced a set of best‑practice guidelines for the implementation of TARAs and for the design of IDS‑based SOCs. These guidelines are intended to be transferable to other sectors such as automotive and medical technology, where safety‑critical software also faces increasing security threats. By consolidating safety and security processes, Philotech and its partners expect to lower development costs, shorten product cycles, and enhance the predictability of effort estimates for future projects. The knowledge gained is already being leveraged to offer consulting services and to develop new service offerings in safety and security analysis, verification strategies, and testing of safety‑critical software.

Overall, the IDEA project delivered a demonstrable IDS prototype, a harmonised safety‑security analysis framework, and a set of transferable process guidelines. These outcomes support the German aerospace industry’s goal of producing complex, reliable, and secure avionics systems under growing cost pressures and competitive demands. The collaboration among industry partners, the structured use of international standards, and the focus on cross‑cutting safety and security activities collectively underpin the project’s contribution to the field.