Evaluating MBSE Approaches and Tools for Aircraft Design and Certification: A Comparative Perspective

This article evaluates two model-based systems engineering (MBSE) toolchains that support aircraft certification under EASA CS-23 Amendment 6. Airworthiness requirements and associated acceptable means of compliance are digitalized as Systems Modeling Language (SysML) models that preserve document structure and encode parameters and expressions needed for substantiation. The maneuvering and gust flight envelope required by CS-23 Subpart C is used as a representative case to compare workflow integration, robustness, and artifact generation. One implementation combines Eclipse Papyrus with MATLAB to export and parse the SysML model and to execute automated calculations and reporting. The second uses CATIA Magic Systems of Systems Architect (MSoSA) to export stereotype fields to JSON and to run C++ routines orchestrated by activity diagrams. Both toolchains generate certification-relevant outputs, including design airspeeds, limit load factors, and flight envelope plots, while improving traceability relative to document-centric practice. The comparison indicates that the Papyrus/MATLAB approach supports rapid prototyping but is more sensitive to regulatory text changes, whereas the MSoSA-based approach reduces dependence on text–pattern parsing and provides more integrated execution. These results suggest that MBSE can improve the efficiency of preparing certification evidence, with adoption trade-offs driven by licensing cost, integration effort, and organizational maturity.