The FAA recently broke ground on a new research park dedicated to NextGen technologies.
The agency is leasing 55 acres of land to the South Jersey Economic Development District to build an Aviation Research and Technology Park, which will sit adjacent to the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center just outside of Atlantic City, N.J.
The park, which will be built at no direct cost to the agency, will offer a central location for the FAA’s industry partners to perform research, development, testing, integration, and verification of the technologies, concepts, and procedures required by NextGen, according to FAA officials.
Technologies developed and tested at the Technical Center will be demonstrated in an operational environment at Florida’s NextGen demonstration center at Daytona International Airport, then returned to the Technical Center for integration with the current air traffic control system and other components of NextGen.
The first building planned for the site will occupy 44,500 square feet, and cost roughly $10 million. The park, which is expected to create 2,000 new jobs, is capable of accommodating up to 400,000 square feet of technology-oriented facilities. Total private sector investment by the time the park is completed has been estimated at between $80 million and $100 million.
For more information: FAA.gov
