FAA Awards $125M in Green Contracts

Five aerospace companies have been awarded a total of $125 million in contracts as part of an environmental initiative to spur development of new aircraft technologies. Each company–Boeing, General Electric, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce North America–will receive $25 million and is required to match the contract in terms of resources. It is part of the FAA’s Cleen (continuous lower energy, emissions and noise) program. According to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, the goal is to support the use of new technologies on commercial aircraft as early as 2015 and get them into service as soon as possible. The projects under development range from alternative aviation fuels, engine noise reduction, open rotor to geared turbine technology, and advances in air traffic and ground control.