Draft – Not for Publication – Last updated 7/29/2019 

Research Landscape 

for the 

National Airspace System 

2020 – 2030 
 

 

Contents 

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 

The Landscape................................................................................................................................. 4 

I. Advances in New Vehicles and New Missions .................................................................... 4 

II. Advances in Technology and Materials ............................................................................ 14 

III. Advances in Data and Processing Power .......................................................................... 25 

IV. System Wide Advancements and Improvements............................................................. 33 

Summary by Time Frame .............................................................................................................. 35 

Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 37 

References .................................................................................................................................... 38 

List of Acronyms............................................................................................................................ 39 

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Introduction 

The mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace 

system in the world. The FAA continually strives to make aviation safer and more efficient through global 

leadership while delivering user benefits through technology and innovation. Innovations such as autonomous 

vehicles, space travel, urban air mobility, and other emerging technologies require the FAA to continually 

explore industry goals and objectives to remain vigilant of the continual changes and growth possible in the 

NAS. 

Therefore, research and development (R&D) must be an ongoing part of FAA’s core responsibilities as it helps 

the FAA understand how to respond to new technologies, new business models, and the changing needs of 

system users. This research will help the FAA to understand and prepare for the regulatory, safety, and traffic 

management impacts that will accompany the integration of these new technologies into the NAS. 

The National Aviation Research Plan (NARP) is the FAA’s performance-based plan addressing near, mid, and 

far term research needs of the aviation community. In order to appropriately develop that plan, the FAA needs 

to look beyond today’s challenges to prepare for those of tomorrow. The FAA has developed this research 

landscape to illustrate industry objectives and operational drivers in the next 10 years and highlight industry 

initiatives that the FAA should be aware of. The intent of this report is to describe emerging technologies and 

the challenges that they may present to the aviation industry over the next decade, from a high-level 

perspective, which may then be used later to identify specific research questions or priorities. The descriptions 

of the drivers are shaded to indicate the expected time to maturity: dark blue for near-term (0-3 years), 

medium blue for mid-term (3-5 years), and light blue for far-term (5-10 years). 

This landscape will inform the research planning discussion by taking a strategic look at what will be driving 

the research needs facing the FAA and the larger community. This will prepare the FAA for how the industry 

may evolve over the coming decade. This landscape should not be interpreted as a static set of research 

drivers, but rather as an evolving list that will continue to grow and adapt as future technologies and research 

needs are refined. By creating this landscape of research drivers, the FAA can identify areas requiring 

engagement with industry and facilitate early involvement to ensure that the FAA is prepared to support 

progress at the pace of industry and respond as an equal partner in furthering innovation. 

Identifying and Vetting Research Drivers 

A “research driver” is defined as any external force or motivation that stimulates R&D investment. Drivers 

describe broad concepts encompassing multiple characteristics or potential impact areas but are also specific 

enough to describe a tangible concept with a unique definition. The drivers in this list are not mutually 

exclusive, but instead are intended to cover a breadth of technologies, emerging issues, and global political or 

societal influences that could potentially require the FAA to respond with research. 

A preliminary list of research drivers was compiled by talking with subject matter experts, and by reviewing a 

number of source documents describing future aviation or technical trends and strategies. These source 

documents included such publications as the FAA Strategic Initiatives [1], the U.S. Department of 

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Transportation Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022 [2], and the FAA’s 2016 The Future of the NAS [3]. A complete 

list of sources used may be found in the References section of this document. 

In an effort to determine the industry perspective of future research areas related to these drivers, the FAA 

sought input from the Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee (REDAC), an advisory 

group established in 1989 to provide advice and recommendations on the needs, objectives, and content of 

the FAA’s aviation research portfolio. Through its five subcommittees, the REDAC considers aviation research 

needs in the following areas: 

 Airport Technology 

 Aviation Safety 

 Environment and Energy 

 Human Factors 

 NAS Operations 

Each REDAC subcommittee was requested to review the initial list of research drivers, focusing on them 

through the perspective of their particular area of expertise. Members provided their assessment of what the 

expected impacts would be on the FAA’s mission, and the time frame in which these impacts would mostlikely occur. Committee members were also encouraged to add to the initial list of research drivers, or to 

suggest modifications where needed. Inputs from the REDAC were collected and synthesized to determine the 

challenges each driver may pose as well as their predicted time to maturity from the industry’s perspective.

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Viewing the Research Landscape 

The following pages contain descriptions of each identified research driver and a list of anticipated challenges 

that may be addressed through R&D in the future. The drivers have been grouped into the following 

categories: 

o Advances in New Vehicles and New Missions 

o Non-Traditional NAS Access Points 

o Routine Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) 

o Space Operations 

o Autonomous Ground Service Equipment at Airports 

o Growth of Mixed Operations (Piloted, Autonomous, Unmanned) 

o New Mission Types 

o Supersonic Flight 

o Urban Air Mobility 

o Advances in Technology and Materials 

o Aircraft Command and Control Using Automation and Remote Sensing Technologies 

o Certification using New Technologies, Standards, or Processes 

o Future Fuel Technologies 

o Infrastructure Resiliency and Continuity of Operations 

o New Medical Technologies and New Medications 

o New Vehicles or Components Which Make Use of New Technologies, Software, or Materials 

o Position, Navigation, & Timing (PNT) Technologies 

o Remote and Virtual Technologies 

o New Technologies for Airport Pavement Infrastructure and Design 

o Advances in Electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion 

o Advances in Data and Processing Power 

o Big Data Analytics and Techniques 

o Crowd Sourcing Weather Data 

o Increased Connectivity by Cyber-Physical Systems (Internet of Things [IoT]) 

o Information Assurance and Cybersecurity for All Operations 

o Risk-Based Decision-Making Techniques and Analytics 

o Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

o Human-Machine Teaming and New Technology Interfaces 

o System Wide Advancements and Improvements 

o New Methods and Technologies (Air Traffic Safety, Efficiency, Noise, Emissions, Fuel Use, and Airport 

Surface Movements) 

o Methods for Increased Flexibility of Operators 

o Performance-Based Capabilities 

o Advancement of Global Standards or Requirements 

o Human Response to Traffic and Congestion Management 

o Development of the Workforce of the Future 

o Advances in Aeromedical Certification 

o Changing Public Demographics and Requirements 

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The Landscape 

I. Advances in New Vehicles and New Missions 

Based on private-sector development work that is already underway, the NAS could be 

challenged to safely accommodate a number of new vehicle types, or existing vehicles 

operating in non-traditional ways. These drivers will lead to regulatory and operational 

impacts such as changes to existing rules to enable and certify these operations, or to manage 

public and stakeholder trust of shifting certification responsibility to operators or 

manufacturers. New vehicles and missions will also have operational impacts such as 

incompatibility with incumbent operations or current airspace, route structures and airport 

designs. Increases in these operations could also lead to increases in noise including “visual 

noise” from operations like small UAS at lower altitudes near the general public. 

The following are the research drivers identified in this category: 

 Non-Traditional NAS Access Points (near-term) 

 Routine Small UAS Operations BVLOS (near-term) 

 Space Operations (near-term) 

 Autonomous Ground Service Equipment at Airports (mid-term) 

 Growth of Mixed Operations 

(Piloted, Autonomous, Unmanned) (mid-term) 

 New Mission Types (mid-term) 

 Supersonic Flight (mid-term) 

 Urban Air Mobility (mid-term) 

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Non-Traditional NAS Access Points 

Current air vehicles typically enter the NAS through airports, heliports, or more recently 

spaceports. However, as new entrants operations increase, vehicles such as urban air taxis, 

balloons, or space vehicles may be entering and exiting the airspace from locations other 

than conventional airport environments, such as vertiports, new spaceport locations, or 

even commercial buildings and offices. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Interference with existing and traditional airport operations 

 Integration and equitability of NAS resources 

 Recovery of space launch vehicles or reusable launch vehicles 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Air traffic management (ATM) monitoring of airspace capacity and demand 

 Suitability of access points including emergency or contingency considerations 

 Security risks associated with various access points 

 Determining regulatory and oversight responsibilities 

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Routine Small UAS Operations BVLOS 

Many future applications for UAS will require routine operations BVLOS. Enabling 

BVLOS operations creates a number of challenges to ensure safe operations, such as 

detecting and avoiding obstacles and other traffic and ensuring that control links are 

maintained over long distances. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Impacts or conflicts with traditional airport operations 

 Understanding on-airport applications 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Standards for safe and efficient operations, including operations over people 

 Understanding collision risk and impact 

 Detect and avoid (DAA) technologies and standards 

 Regulatory questions regarding the safety of cargo and package delivery operations 

 Certification, standardization, and regulation of UAS traffic management (UTM) 

providers and UAS service suppliers (USS) 

 Adequacy of spectrum and communication links 

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Space Operations 

Industry and literature indicate that the number and type of space launches and reentries are 

expected to increase and may utilize new types of launch and reentry systems. Current 

research pertaining to separation standards between aircraft and space vehicles are focused 

mainly on non explosive phases of space vehicle operations, however, more advanced 

concepts could examine separation on launch and reentry vehicles from other aircraft based 

on separation standards as opposed to pure airspace restrictions [3]. Additionally, space 

tourism will present new mission types that may bring unique challenges affecting both 

passenger and crew. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Spaceport design standards 

 Standards for assessing the safety and efficiency impacts of proposed launch sites 

 Standards and equipage requirements to ensure safe operations at spaceports colocated with airports, including airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) requirements 

 Airspace impacts on airport operations and airport design 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Determining size and duration of launch or reentry hazard areas for efficient airspace 

utilization 

 Traffic flow management strategies to ensure shared and equitable airspace use with 

increased launch frequency 

 Aeromedical issues unique to space operations such as radiation impacts 

 Impact analysis of increasing the number of commercial space operations 

 Integrating orbital traffic management with launch management (i.e., ensuring the 

launch and reentry operations are not negatively impacted by objects already in orbit) 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Standards to assess environmental impacts of space operations and proposed launch 

sites, such as noise, hazardous materials, and community impacts 

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Autonomous Ground Service Equipment at Airports 

Autonomous or highly-automated vehicles are being developed for use on the airport 

surface to perform tasks such as aircraft tug operations and perimeter security. 

Understanding the implications of these new, driverless surface vehicles could 

require further research. 

Mid-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Infrastructure or methods to support autonomous ground vehicle operations (e.g., 

navigation, charging, or fueling) 

 Impact of weather conditions on ground service equipment 

 Integrating autonomous ground vehicles with aircraft operating on or near the surface 

 Foreign object debris (FOD) detection and abatement 

 Communication and notifications to flight crews, air traffic control (ATC), ground 

handlers, and other ground vehicles of information such as destination or intent of 

vehicle movement 

 Security and identification of autonomous vehicles 

 Training and procedures for flight crews, including emergency or contingency situations 

 Policy frameworks to manage liability, accountability, and responsibility in the event of 

accidents or incidents (e.g., runway incursions) 

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Growth of Mixed Operations (Piloted, Autonomous, Unmanned) 

The integration challenges of mixed operations are expected to increase as operations by 

commercial space vehicles, UAS of various sizes, and high-altitude balloons continue to 

grow. Ensuring safe and efficient separation of air traffic becomes more challenging as 

vehicle operating profiles become more diverse beyond just aircraft equipage performance. 

The challenge of sharing the airspace will likely grow with the introduction of urban air taxis, 

autonomous passenger and cargo flights, and supersonic transports (SSTs). 

Mid-Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Integration of unmanned (e.g., remote-piloted, semi-autonomous, autonomous) and 

manned traffic, and accommodation of varying performance characteristics 

 DAA criteria for all types of operations, including airport, terminal and low-altitude 

operations 

 Defining or developing an appropriate NAS architecture to accommodate mixed 

operations 

 Appropriate pilot training for the mixed operating environment 

 Safety and security of information systems, both airborne and ground based 

 Touch points and interoperability where unmanned traffic management and traditional 

ATM meet 

 Procedures for off-nominal or contingency events 

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New Mission Types 

Airspace above 60,000 feet creates a new frontier for air operations. New mission types in this 

airspace could include operations of longer or higher duration by traditional or non-traditional 

air vehicles. High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) operations may create unique challenges 

when integrating with legacy traffic or other new entrants. 

Mid-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Ensure that ARFF is adequate for new mission types 

 Impact of air vehicle size and dimensions on airport design or launch platform design 

and certification standards 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Changing/evolving pilot responsibility (e.g., single pilot or remotely piloted operations) 

 Potential modifications to NAS infrastructure 

 Determining how information is exchanged, collected and distributed with users and/or 

third parties 

 ATM and space traffic management (STM) methods 

 Human factors concerns for passengers or crew, including reduced redundancies and 

alternative contingency mitigation options 

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Supersonic Flight 

Historically, supersonic aircraft were retired due to the costs of maintaining 

operations that met environmental noise restrictions as well as inefficient fuel 

consumption. However, more recently, a number of companies are actively working 

to develop quieter and more efficient Supersonic Transports (SSTs) for commercial 

use, which could become operational within the next several years. [6] 

Mid-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Noise impacts (particularly during takeoff and landing) 

 Airspace and airfield capacity due to special procedures or in-trail separations 

 Compatibility with existing airfield facilities 

o Runway and taxiway dimensional requirements 

o Ground handling characteristics 

o Gate and parking position dimensional requirements 

o Compatibility with passenger loading bridges 

o Fueling requirements 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Wake vortices and interactions with subsonic aircraft 

 Performance characteristics of the proposed delta wing design 

 New or modified certification standards for new technologies utilized on SSTs or with 

their operations 

 Safety and medical issues related to: 

o Maintaining cabin pressurization at high altitudes 

o Potential impact of radiation on passengers and crew 

o Use of enhanced or synthetic vision for some phases of flight 

 Human factors issues of how pilots will manage new control systems 

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ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Emissions impact during take-off and landing, but particularly at cruise at altitudes 

where emissions impact may be magnified 

 Noise concerns in the airport, terminal, and en route environments 

o Design for quiet airport operations is contrary to the propulsion needs of 

supersonic aircraft 

o Sonic boom and flight noise mitigation, particularly in the transition between 

subsonic and supersonic flight and supersonic climb/cruise 

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Urban Air Mobility 

A number of companies and their partners are currently performing research and 

prototyping concepts of "flying taxis”, also referred to as on-demand aviation [7]. The 

concepts vary but overall characteristics are generally seen as vertically deployed vehicles 

with multi-rotor or tilt-rotor designs. The propulsion envisioned is a hybrid or all-electric 

motor that is designed to operate in urban settings. These operations are expected to be 

autonomous or highly-automated and operate from vertiports located in strategic urban 

transfer hubs under a multimodal approach. 

Mid-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Vertiport design standards 

 Impacts on traditional airport operations 

 Vertiport rescue and ARFF requirements 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 New vehicle certification and their performance standards 

 Electric or other alternative means of propulsion 

 Spectrum requirements for control and reliability of commercial communications 

 Pilot certification standards (in cases of human pilotage) 

 Urban environment “micro-weather” prediction (localized weather caused by buildings)

 Changes to traffic management automation and procedures and non-applicability of the 

current FAA NAS architecture 

 Human factors considerations around a reduced crew environment, decision support 

aids or technologies, distributed responsibility, human machine teaming, and passenger 

contingencies 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Battery disposal from hybrid gas-electric propulsion systems 

 Noise concerns including cumulative noise, “visual” noise, and perceived noise as well as 

defining effective noise metrics for noise measurement 

 Electric and hybrid-electric energy use, amount of required reserves, and life-cycle 

cleanliness of power generation 

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II. Advances in Technology and Materials 

In addition to new vehicles or new operational profiles, industry is also experimenting with 

cutting edge materials, manufacturing techniques, communications, fuels and propulsion 

systems. Integration of these technologies and materials into the NAS will require new criteria 

for validation, acceptance, or compliance with existing certification standards or regulations. 

Operationally, advancements to fuel technologies and electric propulsion create the potential 

to reduce emissions, which could ultimately allow increased operations while maintaining or 

reducing net carbon dioxide (CO2) output. 

The following are the research drivers identified in this category: 

 Aircraft Command and Control Using Automation and Remote Sensing Technologies 

(near-term) 

 Certification using New Technologies, Standards, or Processes (near-term) 

 Future Fuel Technologies (near-term) 

 Infrastructure Resiliency and Continuity of Operations (near-term) 

 New Medical Technologies and New Medications (near-term) 

 New Vehicles or Components Which Make Use of New Technologies, Software, or 

Materials (near-term) 

 Position, Navigation, and Timing Technologies (near-term) 

 Remote and Virtual Technologies (near-term) 

 New Technologies for Airport Pavement Infrastructure and Design (mid-term) 

 Advances in Electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion (far-term) 

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Aircraft Command and Control Using Automation and Remote 

Sensing Technologies 

Aircraft operations are relying more and more on automation or remote sensing 

technologies, such as satellite based information. These technologies could lead to 

fully autonomous flight to control and maneuver the aircraft and include UAS 

operations as well as traditional passenger and cargo operations. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 System impacts and human response (e.g., pilots, ATC) of manned or unmanned aircraft 

autonomously executing an avoid maneuver 

 Automated system response to off-nominal or unforeseen situations 

o Fault tolerance to in-range and out-of-range sensor failures 

 Autonomous system response to traditional aircraft operations 

 Communication with non-autonomous systems 

 Cyber and non-cyber threats related to automation and remote operations 

 Sensor reliability and certification 

 Understanding how humans interact with autonomous systems 

 Training methods for human response (e.g., pilots, ATC) 

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Certification using New Technologies, Standards, or Processes 

New techniques may be used for the purposes of testing or certification. This might 

include techniques such as non destructive testing or computer simulations. These 

new technologies could add robustness to inspection or certification standards or 

improve the efficiency of existing processes. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Validation criteria for model-based certification 

 International harmonization of certification standards 

o Ensuring that harmonization does not lead to competitive advantage for one 

original equipment manufacturer (OEM) over another 

o Ensuring that harmonization does not reduce level of safety and rigor required 

for certification 

 Leveraging other government agencies’ certification criteria (e.g., for cybersecurity) 

 Combining related certifications (e.g., cross agency) 

 Updating outdated guidance to keep pace with the predictive and performance-based 

nature of new certification standards 

 Moving from fail safe to damage-tolerant design methodology 

 Training and increasing the technical knowledge of individuals tasked oversight of these 

types of certifications 

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Future Fuel Technologies 

This driver encompasses efforts to modify existing aircraft fuels, such as biofuels, 

fuel cells, or unleaded Avgas. Future fuel technologies could impact aircraft system 

performance or lead to new environmental considerations and may require 

modifications to current emergency or fire prevention procedures. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Safe handling issues and impacts to humans 

 Future facility requirements and emergency event response 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Compatibility with existing aircraft and fuel delivery systems 

o Impact to aircraft structures, engines, and operation, such as cold soak 

properties, corrosive properties, weight, or deposits 

 Changes in reserve fuel requirements or other aircraft performance requirements 

 Fuel stability and icing potential 

 Impact on piston engine performance of removing lead from Avgas 

 Test methods and certification 

 Impacts to aircraft performance 

 Unique issues related to fuel cells 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Improving efficiency of engines and combustion systems 

 Fuel production 

 Bi-product of combustion 

 Fuel dumping 

 Cabin air quality 

 Supply, sustainability, and economic impacts 

 Effects on emissions 

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Infrastructure Resiliency and Continuity of Operations 

Critical ATM services are required on a 24 X 7 basis with continuity and resiliency. In 

the near future, this requirement may become more challenging as the NAS evolves 

and expands with new missions, new vehicles, and new technologies. The critical 

components of ATM automation, surveillance, weather data service, and data and 

voice communications must provide continuous operations, particularly given the 

challenges posed by natural or man made disasters. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Novel techniques for protecting and maintaining airport infrastructure 

 Detecting and mitigating unauthorized UAS or other new types of vehicles 

 Potential uses and limitations for remote facilities to serve as a backup 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Techniques for protecting and maintaining ATM infrastructure 

 Detecting and mitigating unauthorized UAS or other new types of vehicles 

 Potential uses and limitations for remote facilities to serve as a backup 

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New Medical Technologies and New Medications 

The pharmaceutical and medical industries are developing new medications and 

new medical devices, and their impact on pilot or controller performance must be 

fully understood. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Applying new medical technologies and techniques to speed up medical certification 

 Evaluation of what medications are appropriate or inappropriate for flight crew use to 

ensure medical evaluations are keeping up with modern medical advancements 

 Recognition and detection of fatigue biomarkers for pilots, controllers, and other safety 

critical job functions 

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New Vehicles or Components Which Make Use of New 

Technologies, Software, or Materials 

New manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, and new materials, such as 

carbon fiber, are being incorporated into aircraft design. These techniques and 

materials must be certified as safe for their intended application and may have other 

implications that need to be understood. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Test and evaluation of parts made by additive manufacturing, such as 3D “parts on 

demand”, carbon fiber, composites, and ceramics, including manufacturing in the field 

and at the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) facility 

 Moving towards a process and material standardization similar to metallic materials 

properties development and standardization (MMPDS1) 

 Understanding the physics (e.g., durability, fracture) of new materials such as 

anisotropic material 

 Technology to detect damage and impending failure of components 

 Uses and risks of morphing wings or self-healing materials 

 Standardized repair procedures for composite structures for both temporary and 

permanent repairs 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Ensuring that new materials and new technologies continue to be applied in ways that 

reduce the noise and emissions of aircraft 

1 MMPDS is the primary source of statistically-based design allowable properties for metallic materials and 

fasteners used in many different commercial and military aerospace applications around the world. 

(www.mmpds.org) 

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Position, Navigation, and Timing Technologies 

The NAS reliance on Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation (position, velocity, 

time) is increasing and will become the standard method for aircraft navigation and 

with the transition to Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS B) 

surveillance. Improving GPS robustness and the availability of alternative forms of PNT 

will ensure the safety and reliability of this vital NAS infrastructure. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Safety, reliability, and certification of future PNT technologies 

o Optical air data systems using lasers 

o Machine-based visual navigation 

 Navigation data safety and security (e.g., data validity so that valid position and 

navigation data is being used) 

 Understanding and mitigating human performance issues during a partial or total 

system failure 

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Remote and Virtual Technologies 

The emerging potential of cameras, sensors and telecommunications is starting to 

allow operations to take place at a distance. Examples would include remote ATC 

towers, remotely piloted aircraft, or remote inspection technology. In addition, 

future augmented reality technologies can be applied to operations and training. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Remote airport traffic control tower concepts and safety risks 

 Criteria and specifications enabling deployment and implementation of remote towers 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Use of augmented and virtual reality for training purposes (e.g., pilots, maintenance 

personnel) 

 Use of augmented reality for maintenance and operations functions 

 Minimum performance standards for operations using augmented reality 

 Human factors issues with remote or virtual technologies 

 Increased risk of cyber attack with remote operations 

 Data integrity and timeliness of remote operations 

 Using remote technologies to enable single-pilot operations 

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New Technologies for Airport Pavement Infrastructure and 

Design 

New materials, techniques and designs are being developed to improve the 

performance and sustainability of airport pavement. These technologies could 

impact testing and evaluation protocols, maintenance processes, or relationships 

with surface operations and data. 

Mid-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Development of new materials and techniques, such as: 

o Low-viscosity penetrating sealers for concrete to prevent freeze thaw damage, 

chloride intrusion, and potentially alkali‐silica reaction

o Biomass concrete made from agricultural by‐products 

o Nano particles, electrically conductive concrete or phase change materials to 

inhibit or melt snow and ice 

o Internal curing of concrete to improve concrete quality 

 Standards and minimum qualifications for new materials, while fostering continued 

innovation and development 

 Impact of new materials, particularly surface sealers, on runway friction 

 Determination of toxicity or other hazards to airport and airline personnel 

 Impact of new materials on aircraft performance on the surface 

 Impact of transition between surface types on aircraft performance 

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Advances in Electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion 

Although electric or hybrid propulsion systems may be a feature of some of the new 

vehicle types discussed earlier, this driver is meant to capture the challenges and 

opportunities specific to these engine and battery systems, regardless of what types 

of vehicles they are powering. For example, hybrid and fully-electric conventional 

aircraft are already under development. 

Far-Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Assessing the needs for ARFF 

 Charging infrastructure and siting requirements on airports 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Safety of fast-charging high-energy-density batteries 

 Safety of efficient high-power electric motors 

 New propulsion system impacts to aircraft designs and architectures 

 Reserve power requirements 

 Standards for certification and continuing airworthiness 

o Failure detection and accommodation 

o Ensuring engine robustness to bird strikes, icing, fatigue 

o Damage tolerance and failure containment 

o Potential removal of redundant components (e.g., ram air turbine) 

 Requirements for auxiliary power unit (APU) availability 

 High-voltage distribution requirements 

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES 

 Noise and emissions standards 

 Ensuring efficient power extraction (from turbines) and efficient transmission systems 

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III. Advances in Data and Processing Power 

Information technology has played a role in aircraft development, flight control, and ATM for several 

decades. However, recent advances continue to push the envelope in new ways. Advances to data 

and information management will impact the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and require 

data sharing agreements and governance from data stewards. As operations make use of these 

technologies, increased automation may create interoperability challenges between vehicles and 

systems. Similarly, incidents or accidents involving autonomous or highly automated vehicles may 

also create uncertainties in liability or other legal considerations. 

The following are the research drivers identified in this category: 

 Big Data Analytics and Techniques (near-term) 

 Crowd Sourcing Weather Data (near-term) 

 Increased Connectivity by Cyber-Physical Systems (Internet of Things [IoT]) (near-term) 

 Information Assurance and Cybersecurity for All Operations (near-term) 

 Risk-Based Decision-Making Techniques and Analytics (near-term) 

 Artificial Intelligence (AI) (mid-term) 

 Human-Machine Teaming and New Technology Interfaces (far-term) 

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Big Data Analytics and Techniques 

Big data refers to the massive quantities of data that is now being collected or 

could be collected from a multitude of sources, using sensor networks and 

inexpensive storage. Big data analytics refers to the mining of this data for useful 

information that may help to improve operations. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Use of data on aircraft movements and pavement conditions (e.g., to improve surface 

maintenance, estimating construction costs) 

 Using real time data on aircraft movements and passenger flows through the terminal 

to improve airport landside and airside operations 

 Airport data applications to airport safety management systems (SMS) improvements 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Data governance, including ownership, privacy and attribution 

 Data integrity and pedigree when data is stored in the cloud 

 Certification impact of in-time safety assurance (e.g., “digital twinning”) [4] 

 Using data to transition from life-limited parts (LLP) to condition-based maintenance 

(CBM) methodology 

 Data protection and security (e.g., ensuring proprietary data does not become 

compromised or released to the public) 

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Crowd Sourcing Weather Data 

Improved weather data, improved aviation forecasts, and reduced weather uncertainty 

is a goal for pilots and ATM personnel. With the advent of greater network connectivity 

and the proliferation of individual weather reporting stations, can big data analytics 

and crowd sourcing techniques be used to further this goal? [3] 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Methods to collect, store, and share new weather data, such as data on winds aloft, 

eddy dissipation rates, etc. 

 Methods to obtain more granular weather and environmental data, particularly for new 

users flying in non-traditional airspace 

 Translating weather data for use in ATM systems 

 Potential uses and limitations of using real-time weather data to make informationbased decisions 

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Increased Connectivity by Cyber-Physical Systems 

(Internet of Things [IoT]) 

More and more systems are sharing information with other systems, often over the 

Internet or private networks. This driver refers to the potential benefits and 

challenges involved in this information sharing, which may include data such as 

weather conditions, the health of infrastructure or mechanical systems, or the 

location and state of vehicles in the system. 

Near Term 

AIRPORT AND GROUND OPERATION CHALLENGES 

 Uses and limits of internet of things (IoT) capabilities in areas such as airport facility 

management, airport maintenance, and airport operations, such as “smart” airport

operations, maintenance, and work order management solutions 

 Data storage and transport infrastructure required to implement IoT solutions, including 

bandwidth and spectrum needs 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Interconnectivity and interoperability standards for IoT systems, particularly those 

owned or provided by different entities 

 Cybersecurity and privacy standards for IoT systems associated with critical 

infrastructure 

 Reliability standards to determine if systems are delivering bad data, especially for 

safety critical applications 

 Understanding any emergent behavior from systems of systems 

 Certification required for providers of non-aviation intermediate services (e.g., 

communications networks) 

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Information Assurance and Cybersecurity for All Operations 

As information technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous, there is both an 

increased need for cybersecurity and data protection, as well as new techniques for 

providing it. This includes aspects such as user identification and prevention of 

“spoofing,” secure data transmission, and system performance and secure backup 

standards. 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Access, control, transfer and location of data 

 Data security and redundancy requirements 

 System recovery and resilience to a cyber-attack or other system failure 

 Understanding electromagnetic system vulnerability and criticality 

 Determining the pedigree and integrity of data 

 Ensuring the integrity of data used for MRO 

 Ensuring that all aircraft systems are secure from cyber attack [5] 

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-

-

Risk-Based Decision-Making Techniques and Analytics 

Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion are the 

cornerstones of the FAA’s SMS. Innovations in proactive safety data management, data 

analytics (big data) and integration of safety risk into decision making would advance 

safety and efficiency in the NAS as it continues to evolve and expand in new and unique 

dimensions. [1] 

Near Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Tools to help decision-makers improve risk estimates 

 Potential uses and limitations of in-time SMS [4] 

 Training and guidance for effective risk-based oversight 

 Applications of risk-based decision-making to fault isolation and troubleshooting 

 Applications of risk-based decision-making to MRO 

 Risk-management tools for flight crews 

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Artifical Intelligence (AI) 

AI refers to techniques that allow computers to "learn from experience" and adjust 

their behavior. This technology has great promise for improving automation, but it 

can be difficult or nearly impossible to decompose why an AI system made a certain 

decision, or how it might respond to a future situation that it has not yet 

encountered. 

Mid-Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Use of AI as a strategic decision-support system in the cockpit or the airline operations 

center (AOC) 

 Issues of reliability and liability, such as levels of control given to operating state 

monitoring taking over for pilots or OEM liability for AI decisions 

 Certification of non-deterministic algorithms 

 Best practices, requirements, and validation for “training” the algorithms

 Exploring the potential and the limits of using AI for: 

o Autonomous aircraft operation 

o Fault isolation and trouble-shooting 

o Maintenance and repair decisions 

 Safety and security issues 

 Human factors issues around operator and public trust of AI systems 

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Human-Machine Teaming and New Technology Interfaces 

This driver refers to new and improved interfaces between operators and machines, 

perhaps using such things as augmented reality or wearable technology. These 

technologies could include advances to speech recognition and natural language 

processing, gaze or gesture recognition, and physiological monitoring. 

Far-Term 

OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY CHALLENGES 

 Certification standards for virtual technologies: 

o Synthetic vision, Head-up Displays (HUDs), etc. 

o Wearable technology 

o Gesture technology 

o How to certify non-aviation equipment for use in aircraft? 

 Roles and responsibilities between humans and machines 

 Human factors considerations around the potential for information overload 

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IV. System Wide Advancements and 

Improvements 

The drivers presented in this landscape describe the anticipated challenges and research areas 

that may come to the FAA from industry. It is important to note that these drivers are not 

comprehensive of all future FAA research areas, but rather just those that reflect potential 

industry, academia, and other government agency needs. There are many additional drivers 

that describe system wide advancements and improvements that are more focused on agency 

priorities or continued FAA enhancements. Further research is expected to support these 

drivers based on continued and future objectives. These research needs would be spearheaded 

by FAA and coordinated with industry partners as needed. These additional drivers are: 

 New Methods and Technologies for Air Traffic Safety: efforts to continuously improve 

the safety of commercial, general aviation, and all other operations; including a 

reduction in incidents or accidents due to loss-of-control, controlled flight into terrain, 

unstable approaches, wrong surface landings, and other hazards or obstacles that may 

impede operational safety. 

 New Methods and Technologies for Air Traffic Efficiency: research to support efficiency 

improvements could include efforts to reduce aircraft separation standards, runway 

occupancy times, and the exploration of methods to reduce the impact of adverse 

weather on traffic flows. 

 New Methods and Technologies for Noise, Emissions, and Fuel Use: this driver includes 

methods to better understand the impact of noise and emissions on communities that 

could entail advanced capabilities for noise mitigation measures, improved utilization of 

data to influence fuel-saving, noise-reducing procedures, or mitigation of hazardous 

run-off. 

 New Technologies for Airport Surface Movements: future technologies could affect 

operations on taxiways, such as taxiway design or separation standards, lighting and 

signage, or better understanding jet blast risks. 

 Methods for Increased Flexibility of Operators: this driver may require continued or 

further research to support trajectory-based operations (TBO), customized routes, 

tailored arrivals, and optimized profile descent. 

 Performance-Based Capabilities: future operations may require enhancements to 

current performance-based standards such as area navigation (RNAV) and required 

navigation performance (RNP) routes or other equipage-based procedures. 

 Advancement of Global standards or requirements: to retain the U.S. as a Global 

Aviation Leader future research may be needed to support U.S. guidance to 

international governing entities establishing global standards or requirements. 

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 Human Response to Traffic and Congestion Management: this driver explores the 

human factors aspect of future advances to air traffic management, such as the use of 

new delay mitigation tools or other types of automation. 

 Development of the Workforce of the Future: continued efforts to support the future 

workforce could explore agency hiring and selection methods, as well as technologies to 

improve job performance, increase employment longevity, and improve training 

programs for existing employees and potential recruits. 

 Advances in Aeromedical Certification: the current requirements for medical 

certification may need to be revisited as future technologies and medical advancements 

may impact areas such as allowable medical conditions for pilots and crew, appropriate 

time between certification exams/renewal, and mandatory retirement age. 

 Changing Public Demographics and Requirements: changes to physical characteristics 

and pathologies of human populations over time will create a need for research to 

understand its impact, such as average human height and aircraft seat configurations or 

potential impacts of performance altering pathologies on pilots or passengers. 

34 
 

 

 

 

 

Summary by Time Frame 

The drivers presented in this landscape describe the potential areas for future research in the 

near, mid, and far-term time frames. While many of the drivers will not be fully realized until 

many years from now, current industry initiatives to support incremental milestones and 

phased development goals will begin operational implementation in the near-term. A summary 

of the industry-led drivers by time frame is below. 

Near-term Drivers: 

Driver Category Driver 

Non-Traditional NAS Access Points 

Advances to New Vehicles and New Missions Routine Small UAS Operations BVLOS 

Space Operations 

Aircraft Command and Control Using Automation and Remote 

Sensing Technologies 

Certification using New Technologies, Standards, or Processes 

Future Fuel Technologies 

Advances in Technology and Materials Infrastructure Resiliency and Continuity of Operations 

New Medical Technologies and New Medications 

New Vehicles or Components Which Make Use of New 

Technologies, Software, or Materials 

Position, Navigation, and Timing Technologies 

Remote and Virtual Technologies 

Big Data Analytics and Techniques 

Crowd Sourcing Weather Data 

Advances in Data and Processing Power Increased Connectivity by Cyber-Physical Systems (Internet of 

Things [IoT]) 

Information Assurance and Cybersecurity for All Operations 

Risk-Based Decision-Making Techniques and Analytics 

Mid-term Drivers: 

Driver Category Driver 

Autonomous Ground Service Equipment at Airports 

Growth of Mixed Operations (Piloted, Autonomous, Unmanned) 

Advances to New Vehicles and New Missions New Mission Types 

Supersonic Flight 

Urban Air Mobility 

Advances in Technology and Materials New Technologies for Airport Pavement Infrastructure and Design 

Advances in Data and Processing Power Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

35 
Far-term Drivers: 

Driver Category Driver 

Advances in Technology and Materials Advances in Electric or Hybrid Electric Propulsion 

Advances in Data and Processing Power Human-Machine Teaming and New Technology Interfaces 

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Conclusion 

The collection of research drivers provided in this landscape describe forward-looking industry 

objectives and how they could impact aspects of the FAA; including airport and ground 

challenges, operational and safety challenges, and environmental challenges. In addition to the 

drivers presented in this landscape, there are other drivers from industry that could result in 

research needs that may impact the FAA as a secondary stakeholder. For example, future 

security technologies are expected to alter current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or 

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) functions, such as passenger or cargo screening or 

counter-UAS capabilities. These technologies could create research needs that may tangentially 

impact the FAA. 

Additionally, there are drivers that are broader in nature and may have impacts to multiple 

aspects of the FAA. Aviation system sustainability, for example, is a consideration that could 

impact maintenance of facilities and aging infrastructure, oversight of aircraft fleets and 

growing passenger demand, as well as sustainability of resources such as energy consumption 

and CO2 emissions standards. Another example is human factors considerations, which could 

have impacts such as the evolving complexity of the NAS with integration of UAS and other new 

entrants, advances in information management, training and qualification methods, and 

passenger and crew impacts of increased automation and autonomy, and cybersecurity. 

Moving forward, this landscape will be used to identify areas where the FAA should be 

preparing to address industry advances. The drivers presented here can serve as the starting 

point to inform FAA research plans like the NARP, and will play a role in the overall research 

cycle as specific questions are explored and the findings are used to update and refine future 

drivers and their expected impacts. 

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References 

[1] FAA, "Federal Aviation Administration Strategic Initiatives: 2014 - 2018," U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Washington, DC, 2014. 

[2] U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022, Washington DC, 

2018. 

[3] FAA, "The Future of the NAS -2030, draft v2.1," U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Washington, DC., 20591, 2018. 

[4] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, "In-Time Aviation Safety 

Management: Challenges and Research for an Evolving Aviation System," The National 

Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2018. 

[5] Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), "Aircraft Cybersecurity: The Pilot's Perspective," Airline 

Pilots Association (ALPA), Washington, DC, 2017. 

[6] NASA, "NASA Strategic Plan 2018," National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

Washington, DC, 20546, 2018. 

[7] UBER - Elevate, "Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban Air Transportation," 

UBER, 2016. 

[8] FAA, "NAS Horizons," U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, 2018. 

[9] REDAC, "Emerging Issues Report," FAA's Research, Engineering and Development Advisory 

Committee, Washington, DC, 2014. 

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List of Acronyms 

Acronym Definition 

ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast 

AI Artificial Intelligence 

AOC Airline Operations Center 

APU Auxiliary Power Unit 

ARFF Airport Rescue and Firefighting 

ATC Air Traffic Control 

ATM Air Traffic Management 

BVLOS Beyond Visual Line of Sight 

CBM Condition-based Maintenance 

DAA Detect and Avoid 

DHS Department of Homeland Security 

DOT Department of Transportation 

FAA Federal Aviation Administration 

FOD Foreign Object Debris 

GPS Global Positioning System 

HALE High Altitude Long Endurance 

HUDs Head-up Displays 

IoT Internet of Things 

LLP Life-limited Parts 

MMPDS Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization 

MRO Maintenance, Repair, and Operations 

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NARP National Aviation Research Plan 

NAS National Airspace System 

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturers 

PNT Position, Navigation, and Timing 

R&D Research and Development 

REDAC Research, Engineering, and Development Advisory Committee 

RNAV Area Navigation 

RNP Required Navigation Performance 

SMS Safety Management Systems 

SSTs Supersonic Transports 

STM Space Traffic Management 

TBO Trajectory Based Operations 

TSA Transportation Security Administration 

UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

USS Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Service Suppliers 

UTM Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management 

40