Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.(KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer and total systems integrator, said Monday that it has received the top "Level 5" rating in avionics software development and quality management from the preeminent U.S. systems program evaluator.

The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) rating carried out by Carnegie Mellon University is an appraisal program required by companies seeking U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other government contracts. CMMI was set up at the request of the DoD so as to evaluate companies capabilities.

It is characterized by so-called maturity levels with the lowest being "Level 1" and rising to "Level 5". 

KAI said that in the software development and quality control areas, it met requirements in 22 broad categories covering 433 specific fields.

"Of the 9,580 companies that have been checked under the CMMI scheme, only 6.5 percent or 600 got the Level 5 designation," the aerospace company said. It said the latest recognition clearly shows KAI's technical expertise in this field.

It expressed hope that the recognition could raise confidence in the company.

Software has become an integral part of all modern jets accounting for 40 percent of unit price and roughly 50 percent of development costs. 

"For example, software elements for the F-4 fighter-bomber jets used by the South Korean Air Force in the 1960s, accounted for only 8 percent of the aircraft's total functions, but this has ballooned to 90 percent for the F-35 that Seoul wants to add to its fighter jet fleet," KAI said. It added that with software improvements occurring at shorter intervals, this aspect of aviation is taking on much more importance.

It then claimed that in the aviation industry, only a handful of companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems have maintained the highest rating.

KAI has acquired know-how in avionics-related software development and quality control as it developed the FA-50 two-seat multi-mission fighter and other locally made planes. (Yonhap)