We align our research strategy closely with the FAA’s goals and needs, and with the needs of aviation system users. Our research addresses these four areas:

• Improving Access—The unmanned aircraft system and commercial space industries continue to grow at a rapid rate, so we are working to develop innovative solutions to safely accommodate these new entrants in a way that does not impinge upon the efficient operations of more traditional users of civil airspace.
• Enhancing Efficiency—This includes developing new tools to combat the challenges of adverse weather on efficient air traffic management, and employing advanced navigation technology to reduce flight time, costs, and environmental impact. We also develop and apply modeling and simulation capabilities to inform FAA decision making on NextGen concepts, policies, and procedures. And we are working to support increased compatibility among nations and vehicles across the connected international aviation infrastructure.
• Ensuring Safety—We have had success in identifying potentially unsafe conditions—before accidents occur—through advanced data analytics, and we continue to refine these efforts. At the same time, we are working to develop decision aids that can better support pilots and air traffic controllers to fully understand the complex environments in which flight occurs. And we are adapting existing technologies to help provide real-time data to pilots and controllers that can alert them in advance to possible risks.
• Strengthening Security—As aviation becomes more and more reliant on technology and interconnected systems, it is vital that we protect these systems from unauthorized or hostile activity that could disrupt operations or create safety risks. We are therefore working on ways to identify and counter security risks and to ensure that aviation systems are resilient even in the face of technological failure or hostile actions, such as cyber attacks.

Our goal with every successful discovery is to transfer our innovation to sponsors, to industry, or internally to our laboratories. As a result, the products of our research are now working domestically and across the globe to support the evolution of the aviation industry.