CAAS and MITRE Collaborate to Establish Air Traffic Management Research and Development Centre in Singapore

Centre is expected to perform over US$100 million worth of ATM research over the next 10 years

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) have signed a Statement of Intent to set up MITRE Asia Pacific in Singapore (MAPS), a centre for air traffic management (ATM) research and development. MAPS is expected to perform over US$100 million worth of ATM research and analysis over the next 10 years.

With air traffic in the Asia Pacific region estimated to triple by 2030¹, it is envisioned that MAPS will contribute toward developing ATM capabilities and solutions to meet the needs of Singapore and the region, including improving airspace capacity and operational safety, and promoting ATM modernisation and harmonisation in the region.

MAPS will be MITRE’s first aviation research and development centre outside of the United States (US) and is expected to be ready for core operations in the second half of 2014. MITRE, a not-for-profit organisation, is a recognised leader in advanced ATM capabilities, with over 50 years of experience in advanced research and development for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and civil aviation authorities around the world. MITRE will apply its breadth and depth of knowledge to adapt state-of-the-art ATM solutions to suit the region’s requirements. This will include the recreation of significant capabilities from MITRE’s Integration Demonstration and Experimentation for Aeronautics (IDEA) Laboratory in the Singapore facility.

Ms. Lillian Ryals, Senior Vice President, MITRE, added, “By signing this Statement of Intent, we are reaffirming our commitment to partner with CAAS in supporting its Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management initiative and to serve as a resource to support the tremendous growth in the Asia Pacific region. For more than 50 years, MITRE’s work has helped to modernise and harmonise global aviation systems. We look forward to working with Singapore and the entire region.”

Mr. Yap Ong Heng, Director-General, CAAS, said, “We are very pleased to take this step forward with such an esteemed partner as MITRE. This marks a significant milestone in realising our vision to develop Singapore as a Centre of Excellence for ATM². We are confident that MAPS will contribute to developing ATM solutions for Singapore and the Asia Pacific region, as well as advancing ATM capabilities that will bring exponential value to the wider global aviation community.”

Enclosure: Factsheet on the Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management

Note:

¹Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

²As a Centre of Excellence for ATM, Singapore will house a vibrant and self-sustaining eco-system, comprising research institutes and think-tanks, industry players, academia, ATM entities and aviation stakeholders, to collaborate and delve into ATM R&D for new concepts, technologies, and solutions to meet the Asia Pacific region’s unique requirements.