NextGen aircraft mixed equipage and capabilities

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) leverages aircraft avionics to deliver beneficial communications, navigation, and surveillance capabilities. The avionics and enabled capabilities vary among aircraft and the resulting mixed capability environment presents challenges to air traffic control operations and, by extension, NextGen planning and implementation. The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (MITRE/CAASD) applies a data-driven approach to understanding the mixed capability environment, both current and forecast. While all aircraft are important to the success of NextGen and understanding the mixed capability environment, this paper focuses on the fleet of aircraft operated under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 121 authorization and the specific capabilities defined in the NextGen Implementation Plan, Appendix A. This paper describes the avionics and capabilities of this fleet and discusses the expected impact of the mixed capability environment on the National Airspace System (NAS).