A new space dedicated to testing out emerging aviation technologies will soon land in Cowtown as part of the Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus. Think of a space to develop technologies for drones, air taxis and aircraft that travel faster than the speed of sound.
Texas A&M University System announced the establishment of the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies in late April after securing Federal Aviation Administration approval to test these new technologies. Congress authorized up to $35 million per fiscal year for the next four fiscal years for the center. The funding is pending the passage of the federal budget.
“Our aerospace industry generates $22 billion in annual economic output, which makes Texas the eighth-largest economy in the world, and that’s kind of the center of gravity for what’s going on there,” said Michael Sanders, executive director of the Autonomy Research Institute at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“We’re going to leverage the Fort Worth area because of the critical importance that the Dallas-Fort Worth area plays to advanced air mobility within the state of Texas,” he said.
Fort Worth makes sense for this innovation hub because of key companies in the region, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing and Bell Flight. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will lead the initiative, with a laboratory component at Texas A&M-Fort Worth and demonstration zones across the state.
Where that lab will be located is still being decided. The Texas A&M University System will bring together its 19 member institutions, along with the University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University and other partners.
The institute will conduct controlled testing of unmanned aircraft systems, devising innovation that will help facilitate the safe integration of the technology.
“When I authored the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, I wrote the language creating the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies with the express intention of bringing that center to the Dallas-Fort Worth area because of the groundbreaking innovation occurring there,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in a statement.
“I’m confident this new research and testing center will help the private sector create thousands of high-paying jobs and grow the Texas economy through billions in new investments,” he said.
Texas A&M University System is still working with the FAA to iron out the details of how, when and what will be offered at the center.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at [email protected].
The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Science Center.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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