Article Posted on : - Jun 06, 2010

A file photo

CHICAGO (BNS): The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a major research & development support contract worth up to $1.7 billion to Boeing for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).

The prime focus area of the contract includes air traffic management modeling, simulation, full integration of ground & airborne technologies and operations across all vehicle types. It will also include commercial and military aircraft, general aviation, unmanned aerial systems, and rotorcraft.

Boeing has to perform work that will demonstrate NextGen procedures in real time on a large scale within the current air traffic system.

"By applying fully integrated solutions - from concept development to full-scale flight demonstrations - our team is ready to assist the government in developing and testing advanced air traffic management concepts that will improve safety, reliability and efficiency," Greg Deiter, Boeing vice president of Defense & Government Services said in a Boeing news release.

Currently, Boeing has agreements in place with both Airbus and Lockheed Martin to jointly work in NextGen solutions.

Boeing has selected a team who has expertise in advanced air traffic management research. The team intends to fully apply integration solutions - from concept development to full-scale flight demonstrations - to assist the FAA in taking these concepts to the next phase.