Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD)

Federal Aviation Administration FFRDC

The newly renovated MITRE Aviation IDEA Lab allows CAASD to tackle complex aviation challenges. Photos from top to bottom: A dry run using the simulated air traffic control tower; a pilot and copilot train using one of two Boeing 777 simulated cockpits; and an expansive view from a simulated cockpit.

Overview

MITRE has helped the Federal Aviation Administration address the nation's most critical aviation issues since the company's creation in 1958. In recognition of this long and fruitful relationship, the FAA designated MITRE's aviation program as its federally funded research and development center in 1990 and named the new entity the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD).

In addition to working with the FAA, CAASD collaborates with civil aviation authorities around the world, all of which face similar challenges in the areas of safety, security, and efficiency. Air traffic management is a global enterprise. CAASD's international work helps ensure complementary operations and procedures, and interoperable systems and networks.

MITRE—in partnership with other organizations in government, industry, and academia—won the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2008 for the development of Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B), a cornerstone of the next-generation air transportation system known as "NextGen".

Challenges

A few of the challenges we are helping address include:

• Improving aviation safety and security
• Increasing the capacity and efficiency of the national airspace
• Enhancing flexibility in the use of aviation system resources
• Reducing flight delays and traffic management constraints
• Modernizing and harmonizing global aviation systems
• Developing and maintaining consensus among all aviation system stakeholders on schedules and capabilities of future systems
• Developing improved coordination processes and Shared Situational Awareness (SSA) among agencies in response to aviation security threats

Competencies

CAASD is committed to continually maintaining and advancing its core competencies, which include:

• Air traffic management systems analysis and modeling
• Air traffic management systems engineering and capability development
• Air traffic management systems evolution planning
• Airspace analysis and design
• Broadcast technologies and collision avoidance systems
• Required navigational performance
• Communications, navigation, and surveillance systems
• Airport planning and operations
• Air traffic management system infrastructure development and management
• Transportation security

Related Information

Articles and News

• MITRE Experimentation Lab Gives Wings to Aviation Technology Research
• With MITRE's Help, Republic of China Overhauls Air Traffic Management System
• ARIAS: A Near-Term Runway Safety Solution

Technical Papers and Presentations

• NAS-Wide Performance: Impact of Select Uncertainty Factors and Implications for Experimental Design
• Methodology for Assessing Tradeoffs Between Operational and Environmental Performance in the National Airspace System
• Using a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information with Indications and Alerts to Prevent Runway Incursions

Websites

• Our Work: Airspace Development, Safety, Security
• Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development (CAASD)
• MITRE Aviation Institute

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