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    Challenges in airborne interactions between air traffic control and military aircraft

    Cat HofackerBy
    By Priyank Pradeep, Syed A.M. Shihab, and David P. Thipphavong -
    Challenges in airborne interactions between air traffic control and military aircraft
    NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) researchers flew drones in 2025 to test the new airspace management system in wildfire situations. Credit: NASA

    The Air Transportation Systems Technical Committee fosters improvements to air transportation systems and studies the impacts of new aerospace technologies.

    In the face of an uncertain and turbulent macroeconomic environment, the global airline industry demonstrated remarkable robustness. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry was projected to generate a net profit of U.S. $6 billion, at a 3.7% net profit margin, equating to $7.20 per passenger. IATA in June forecast air travel demand to grow by 5.8% compared to 2024, reaching nearly 5 billion passengers. In contrast, air cargo volume was expected to grow by just 0.7% this year, totaling 69 million tons. Ongoing supply chain issues continued to adversely affect new aircraft deliveries and existing fleet maintenance for airlines, resulting in an all-time high backlog of 17,000 aircraft and a reduction in the airline fleet replacement rate to just 3%.

    2025 brought to light several critical issues surrounding the interactions between civilian air traffic and military aircraft, highlighting the importance of robust safety protocols, harmonized flight procedures, advanced technology implementation (like ADS-B) and effective coordination between civilian and military aviation authorities. In January, the midair collision between a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. Subsequently, in July, there were two close calls midair between commercial and military flights in North Dakota and California.

    A Google Earth image with preliminary ADS-B data for the two aircraft that in January 2025 collided near Washington, D.C. American Airlines Flight 5342 is represented by the blue line, and radar data for the U.S. Army Black Hawk, PAT25, by the orange line. Credit: NTSB

    In other news, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) continued to make progress. In March, NASA demonstrated a new UTM-based Portable Airspace Management System designed to enable crews to use aircraft to fight and monitor wildfires 24 hours a day, even during low-visibility conditions. In May, Flytrex and Wing implemented UTM strategic flight coordination to enable beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations in overlapping airspace. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump issued two executive orders to spur the safety and growth of the domestic UAS industry. “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” directed federal agencies to accelerate the safe commercialization and integration of UAS into the national airspace, and “Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty” directed agencies to combat threats to public safety from unlawful UAS activity. In August, FAA released a Notice for Proposed Rulemaking to advance routine BVLOS operations.

    On the advanced air mobility front, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation made substantial progress toward FAA type certification of their respective eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft. In June, Joby completed a series of piloted, vertical-takeoff-and-landing flights in Dubai and delivered its first aircraft to the United Arab Emirates. The company said in November that it expects Type Inspection Authorization flight testing to begin in 2026. In July, Archer’s Midnight aircraft completed a test flight in Abu Dhabi under desert heat, humidity and dust, a key demonstration of its ability to operate in harsh real-world conditions.

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator began taxi tests in July 2025 before making its first flight in October. Credit: NASA

    Several events contributed to the advancement of supersonic and hypersonic transportation. In January, Boom Supersonic completed the first supersonic flight of its XB-1 one-third-scale supersonic demonstrator at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. This was an important step in the company’s plan to build its Overture supersonic airliner. NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft began taxi tests in July, marking the first time this unique experimental aircraft moved under its own power. The aircraft completed its first flight in October at subsonic speeds, with follow-on tests planned at transonic and supersonic speeds in subsequent months. In May, Hermeus flew its Quarterhorse Mk 1 aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, progressing toward developing a hypersonic airliner. The accomplishment showcased the company’s rapid development pace and validated high-speed takeoff and landing capabilities.

    Contributor: Hokkwan Ng

    Opener image: NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) researchers flew drones in 2025 to test the new airspace management system in wildfire situations. Credit: NASA

     

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