New Collaboration Between Air Force and FAA Could Give AAM a Lift

The FAA and Air Force both have skin in the AAM game, and the two will partner to integrate new designs such as eVTOL or autonomous aircraft.

Jack Daleo

Friday, October 27, 2023 at 04:29 PM ET

Verified

The FAA’s John Maffei and AFWERX’s Colonel Elliott Leigh signed a memorandum of understanding at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on October 23. [Courtesy: Air Force Research Laboratory]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA and the U.S. Air Force (via AFWERX) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate the integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft, such as eVTOLs, into U.S. airspace.
This collaboration involves exchanging flight test data and combining resources to test AAM aircraft designs, aiming to inform FAA certification efforts, policies, and safe integration requirements for the national airspace system.
The partnership supports the development of U.S.-built AAM aircraft and associated infrastructure, with companies like Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies already providing aircraft for testing at Air Force bases.
This initiative is crucial for advancing the FAA's Innovate28 plan for safe AAM operations by 2028 and addresses past complexities in eVTOL certification.

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The FAA and the U.S. Air Force are stepping up efforts to integrate advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft into U.S. airspace.

This week, the regulator and the military’s aviation arm agreed to exchange flight test data and combine their capabilities for testing AAM aircraft designs, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) or autonomous aircraft. The new collaboration is meant to mature—and safely integrate—the emerging technologies with airports, individual pilots, policies, communications, and other aircraft within the nation’s complex national airspace system (NAS).