William J. Hughes Technical Center
The FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center is an aviation research and development, and test and evaluation facility. The Technical Center serves as the national scientific test base for the Federal Aviation Administration. Technical Center programs include research and development, test and evaluation, and verification and validation in air traffic control, communications, navigation, airports, aircraft safety, and security. They also include long-range development of aviation systems and concepts, development of new air traffic control equipment and software, and modification of existing systems and procedures. Through a series of initiatives known collectively as NextGen, the  Technical Center is contributing to the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Located northwest of Atlantic City in the Pomona section of Galloway Township, and covering over , the Technical Center consists of laboratories, test facilities, support facilities, the Atlantic City International Airport, and a non-commercial aircraft hangar. The Technical Center is also home to the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Air Marshal Service Training Center, Transportation Security Lab, and the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, as well as the New Jersey Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing. While the Technical Center works mainly in aviation, it also provides  other services for the Department of Homeland Security. The Technical Center site's soil and groundwater were contaminated with pollutants including mercury, perfluorinated compounds, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chloroform, lead, toluene, and numerous other toxic or environmentally harmful chemicals by US Navy, airport, and FAA operations from the 1940s to the 1970s. The Technical Center is now a Superfund site, where the FAA and EPA are engaged in cleaning up the pollution and preventing it from spreading outside the site. History. The Technical Center was established in 1958 as the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC). It was renamed the FAA  Technical Center in 1980, and in 1996 was given its current name in honor of Ambassador/Congressman William J. Hughes.