An aircraft manufacturer is developing software that will perform automatic flight control (auto- pilot). Given the high safety criticality of the software, the developer can BEST prove software…

Static code analyzers identify defects and violations in source code but do not verify that the software satisfies its functional requirements or prove behavior against a specification.

Formal methods provide mathematical proof of correctness and are highly valued in safety-critical contexts, but for demonstrating compliance to a requirements specification in a certifiable manner under standards like DO-178C, test-based verification with harnesses is the required and accepted method.

Test harnesses for safety-critical software - as governed by standards like DO-178C - create controlled environments where every software requirement is mapped to a specific test case, enabling traceability from specification to verified behavior. This structured approach allows developers to demonstrate to certification authorities that each functional and safety requirement has been exercised and confirmed correct, which constitutes proof of correctness to the specification.

Dynamic analysis methods are broad execution-time observation techniques that generate data about runtime behavior but lack the structured requirement-to-test traceability that constitutes proof of specification compliance.