📋 Tender Overview
The U.S. Senate and House passed the CHIPS and Science Act authorizing 250 billion to advance key technologies of the future.U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell D-WA is a main architect of the bill which is currently awaiting President Bidens signature. Sen. Cantwell helped assemble a bipartisan coalition of Senators to support these investments including20 billion for a new National Science Foundation tech directorate to further research into technologies like advanced materials. Advanced materials will help produce the next generation of aircraft from large-bodied planes to advanced air mobility concepts and drones.A sustainable aviation initiative to reduce greenhouse gas and noise emissions which multiple Snohomish County companies including Boeing are already working to achieve.Authorization for NASAs Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation Program. More than 200 Washington state companies supporting more than 2000 jobs are involved in the drone industry.From quiet clean-fueled jets to speedy maneuverable drones theres no limit to the future of aerospace innovation said Senator Cantwell. The CHIPS and Science bill authorizes billions of dollars to advance aerospace RD and Snohomish County stands ready to play a leading role resulting in economic growth and good-paying jobs.Snohomish County business are primed to benefit from investments in these areasNext Generation of Aerospace ManufacturingNew materials producing lighter more sustainable aircraft are the future of aerospace manufacturing. The NSF Technology Directorate 20 billion from FY 2023 to FY 2027 will further U.S. research into advanced materials like thermoplastics and composite manufacturing which will produce the next generation of aircraft from large-bodied planes to advanced air mobility concepts and drones.The NASA Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology Program will help develop new composite materials create efficient manufacturing processes and reduce the time it takes to design industrialize and certify advanced materials and their manufacturing processes. This program will also leverage public-private partnerships to provide education and training opportunities for the U.S. aerospace workforce in advanced materials and manufacturing technology.A skilled workforce is critical to meeting future demand. According to the Washington State Department of Commerce over the next 20 years more than 200000 new jobs could be created in the state to develop flight technologies for design and manufacture new types of aircraft. This will nearly triple the amount of aviation and aerospace jobs in Washington over the next two decades. Nationally the U.S. composites end products market was valued at 26.7 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach 33.4 billion in 2025.Sustainable AviationNASA will accelerate its sustainable aviation work through a newly authorized research and development initiative with a goal of 1 reducing greenhouse gas emissions from new aircraft by 50 2 reducing noise levels throughout all phases of flight and 3 achieving net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.Aviation represents 11 percent of United States transportation-related emissions. Air travel is one of the most carbon intensive activities an individual can engage in. Washington state is the fifth largest consumer of aviation fuel in the United States. In 2019 jet fuel and aviation gasoline made up 7.8 percent of Washingtons total carbon emissions significantly more than the national average of approximately 2.7 percent.NASA will continue to form partnerships with commercial aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing other manufacturers in the supply chain and new entrants to advance research and development in commercial aviation emission reductions. NASA has partnered with Boeing and air carriers such as Alaska Airlines through the Boeing ecoDemonstrator project to test and prove sustainable aviation technologies. The project has made advancements such as fuel-efficient winglets sustainable aviation fuel use and additional carbon fiber composite applications possible in todays commercial aircraft.These research and development goals directly align with the work of Washington aerospace companies and the growing number of new entrants in the sustainable aviation sector.Unmanned Aircraft Systems DronesNASAs Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation Program will continue unmanned aircraft systems UAS research and testing to advance air traffic management technologies and promote the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.UAS otherwise known as drones are the fastest growing segment of aviation in the United States. As of January over 860000 drones have been registered with the Federal Aviation Administration FAA and over 260000 Remote Pilots have been certified by the FAA. These numbers are projected to continue to grow.This NASA program has the potential to benefit efforts underway by members of Washingtons Uncrewed Systems Industry Council which seeks to help the state compete on a national and international basis in this fast-growth sector of aviation. According to the Washington State Department of Commerce approximately 200 companies twice the number from five years ago are involved in aircraft systems datasets traffic management and other UAS technologies. This means more than 2000 direct jobs which based on the past trajectory could grow quickly to more than 10000 jobs in the next several years.
