RTCA/DO-178C Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification provides a mechanism to qualify tools for use in the development (including verification) of airborne software. RTCA/DO-330 defines the objectives by which tool qualification is measured. DO-178C specifies how to determine if a tool should be qualified, defines the applicable Tool Qualification Level (TQL), and then refers to RTCA/DO-330 Software Tool Qualification Considerations for the details on the actual qualification process.  

The Tool  Qualification Support Packs (TQSPs) available for the LDRA tool suite provide examples of how qualification is implemented in practice.