AFWERX Prime-FAA Agreement Seeks to Fast-Track Advanced Aircraft Mobility Platforms’ Development

The U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX Prime and the Federal Aviation Administration have signed a  flight test data exchange agreement to fast-track the development and safe integration of advanced aircraft mobility platforms into the national airspace infrastructure. 

The data exchange’s memorandum of understanding, which the Air Force Research Laboratory disclosed on Wednesday, will help AFWERX Prime’s AAM growth initiatives covering the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and autonomous systems industries. 

The data sharing will also support the FAA’s aircraft certification efforts and future policy and standards requirements, the AFRL said. 

Furthermore, the MOU will enable the sharing of capabilities and expertise among the Department of the Air Force, AFWERX and the FAA, the research lab added. 

A similar capability-sharing arrangement is provided in a 2022 MOU wherein AFWERX provides the FAA the opportunity to learn military certification of advanced aircraft. 

According to Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director, “now is the time” to push for a breakthrough in the AAM with the FAA and other federal partners. He said that AFWERX contracts worth over $345 million have been awarded to 36 eVTOL developers during the last three years.

Overall, the AAM commercial sector has secured more than $11 billion in DAF investments, partnership agreements and testing contracts, according to the AFRL’s MOU announcement.