The FAA has released an update to the implementation plan of its vast modernization effort, NextGen, and has announced an upcoming focus on developing parallel commitments with the aviation community and avionics equipage.
Under mid-term avionics requirements, the plan defines the core set of avionics that support the NextGen operational capabilities that will be deployed by 2018.
The agency has broken out the plan into seven management areas, such as improving collaborative air traffic management, focusing on operational capabilities intended to result in the mid-term system.
The agency says NextGen benefits will be maximized when the majority of operators are properly equipped, though it acknowledges that additional equipage may be necessary to take advantage of capabilities introduced beyond the mid-term.
The Plan summarizes the agency’s NextGen implementation commitments for the next five years and highlights applied research, engineering, and demonstration activities in fiscal 2009 that will inform future commitments.
The plan also describes how the national air traffic system will operate in 2018.