US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P Duffy has unveiled the country’s very-first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Strategy, which sets out to establish a roadmap to accelerate the deployment of automated aircraft across the US.
The new Strategy and its accompanying plan set out 40 outlining recommendations to support AAM operations.
Organised around six key pillars (Airspace, Infrastructure, Security, Community Planning and Engagement, Workforce, and Automation); the Strategy looks to provide guidance on the establishment of a resilient foundation for national policy.
The Plan gives a number of high-level implementation action items across a set of four strategic phases, referred to as LIFT:
- Leverage Existing Programs to Support Innovation and Begin Operations
- Initiate Engagement with Partners, Research and Development, and Smart Planning
- Forge New Policy and Models Responsive to Public Needs
- Transform the Aviation Ecosystem
The announcement follows an Executive Order issued by President Trump in June that aims to enhance United States productivity, create high-skilled jobs, and reshape the future of aviation.
Currently, the US aviation industry and its workforce support over 1.8 trillion in total economic activity, contributing 4% of the US gross domestic product.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, said:Since the Wright brothers first took flight in 1903, America has been at the forefront of aviation innovation. Today, we have a bold strategy to unlock the future of our skies and unleash this next chapter of aviation safely and efficiently.
Advanced air mobility vehicles will benefit the American people – transforming how the flying public travels, how first responders jump into action and communities access healthcare, how businesses deliver goods, and how we defend our nation. I look forward to working together to make this dream a reality.
