Advancing NextGen Technology

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has entered into agreements with Honeywell Aerospace and Rockwell Collins for a collaborative effort to develop avionics to support Data Communications (Data Comm), so that National Air Space (NAS) users will realize the benefits of the Data Comm program---and the Next Generation (NextGen) air traffic control system sooner.

Honeywell and Rockwell will develop prototype avionics hardware and software based upon the RTCA SC-214 standards and will work with the FAA's William J Hughes Technical Center to validate those standards.

Additionally, Honeywell and Rockwell will support system demonstrations, design and development of human machine interfaces, interoperability testing with air-ground communications systems, and security validation.

The efforts sponsored under this agreement will begin in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 and continue through FY2011. Follow-on agreements may follow to develop and supply avionics for aircraft certification, operational site tests, and initial operational acceptance testing.

The combined value of the FAA and company contribution to these efforts is approximately $12 million.

As part of NextGen, the FAA is modernizing the air traffic communication systems to handle the projected demand for fast and efficient exchange of information. The advancements of NextGen will require air traffic controllers and aircrews to exchange more information more effectively than can be handled by voice communications alone.

Data Comm will provide air-to-ground digital data exchange, using displays and applications in ground air traffic management automation, ground/ground and air/ground data networks, data radios on the ground and in the aircraft, as well as displays and applications in the aircraft cockpits.