Boeing has won a major research & development support contract worth up to $1.7 billion for the Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Prime focus areas of the contract include air traffic management modeling and simulation as well as the full integration of ground and airborne technologies and operations across all vehicle types, including commercial and military aircraft, general aviation, unmanned aerial systems, and rotorcraft. Boeing will perform work that will demonstrate NextGen procedures in real time on a large scale within the current air traffic system.
The comprehensive industry team Boeing has assembled for SE2020 includes airframers Airbus and Cessna and Lockheed Martin to provide the effective systems engineering support needed to ensure that aviation stakeholders see the benefits of NextGen as quickly as possible. The Boeing team also includes Adacel, Ensco, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Harris, Honeywell, Jeppesen, Jerry Thompson & Associates, Mosaic ATM, Spectrum Software Technology Inc., Tetra Tech AMT, and the Washington Consulting Group.
Currently, Boeing has agreements in place with both Airbus and Lockheed Martin to jointly work NextGen solutions. Boeing and Airbus both have a vested interest in harmonizing air traffic systems globally. And the Boeing partnership with Lockheed Martin enables the two companies to fully address the critical integration of ground systems and airborne platforms.