This supplement identifies the additions, modifications and deletions to DO-178C and DO-278A objectives when object-oriented technology or related techniques are used as part of the software development life cycle and additional guidance is required. This supplement, in conjunction with DO-178C, is intended to provide a common framework for the evaluation and acceptance of object-oriented technology (OOT) and related techniques (RT)-based systems.

OOT has been widely adopted in non-critical software development projects. The use of this technology for critical software applications in avionics has increased, but there are a number of issues that need to be considered to ensure the safety and integrity goals are met. These issues are both directly related to language features and to complications encountered with meeting well-established safety objectives.