The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Aviation Communication and Surveillance Systems, LLC (ACSS) for research in surveillance.

Partnering company ACSS is developing Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) functionality, including three initial ADS-B applications. This functionality is incorporated into ACSS’s third-generation Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The objective of this collaborative partnership is to develop operational knowledge and three validated ADS-B procedures: merging and spacing, surface area movement management, and cockpit display of traffic information and assisted visual spacing (CAVS).

This collaborative effort is an excellent example of leveraging resources by combining ACSS’s avionics development experience with the FAA’s flying laboratories and flight testing expertise. This CRADA was awarded on September 21, 2006, and is effective for two years.

For additional information, contact Deborah Germak, FAA Technology Transfer Program Manager, at (609) 485-9862 or deborah.germak@faa.gov.