The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has detailed the role of its Experimental Fabrication Branch at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in accelerating the development of autonomous flight technologies and advanced Commercial-Aircraft components.

In a feature published on June 22, 2026, the agency highlighted how the Edwards, California-based facility serves as a full-service Manufacturing, modification, and repair center for its fleet of research and science aircraft. By integrating engineering and fabrication early in the design process, the branch shortens development timelines and minimizes design-to-hardware mismatches, supporting broader advancements in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Advancing autonomous air taxi research

A primary focus of the facility’s recent work involves the Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE) sensor pod. The Experimental Fabrication Branch converted digital designs into a fully functional physical structure for the pod, which underwent testing to meet strict safety requirements prior to deployment.

The AIRVUE pod gathers video, laser range finding, and other flight data to populate a comprehensive dataset of actual flight scenarios. According to project details, this dataset is designed to assist developers of electric air taxis in training their aircraft to fly autonomously using onboard Software. NASA concluded the initial phase of the AIRVUE video archive project on December 16, 2024, under the direction of lead researcher Nelson Brown.

Manufacturing capabilities and community outreach

The branch utilizes modern computer-aided design and manufacturing tools to convert digital models into mission-ready hardware. Engineering technicians, including Ron Harris and Alexis Moreno, operate software platforms such as Pro E/Creo, MasterCam, and SolidWorks to execute complex fabrication tasks.

Recent manufacturing projects extend beyond sensor pods. The facility has produced advanced wing-model components and custom lightweight aircraft floorboards tailored for the agency’s specialized research fleet.

STEM engagement and technical demonstrations

Beyond direct mission support, the Experimental Fabrication Branch actively participates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) engagement initiatives. Technicians deploy mobile fabrication equipment to local robotics competitions, where they repair student-built robots and provide practical demonstrations of machining and welding techniques.

AirPro News analysis

We view the work at the Experimental Fabrication Branch as a critical bridge between conceptual engineering and practical flight testing. The development of the AIRVUE dataset is particularly relevant for the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector. As electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturers push toward autonomous operations, the availability of real-world, NASA-validated flight scenario data will likely accelerate software training and regulatory certification processes. By maintaining in-house rapid prototyping capabilities, the agency ensures that hardware limitations do not bottleneck software and aerodynamic innovations.

Sources: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

A coalition of environmental and industry non-governmental organizations is urging the European Commission to end the European Union Emissions Trading System exemption for international flights, a move proponents estimate could generate €130 billion in carbon market revenues between 2027 and 2035.

In a campaign coordinated by the SASHA Coalition, groups including Opportunity Green, Transport & Environment, and Carbon Market Watch are targeting the upcoming legislative revision of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) scheduled for July 2026. The coalition argues that integrating extra-EEA flights into the carbon pricing mechanism is necessary to fund clean aviation technologies, specifically electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) and Direct Air Capture (DAC) infrastructure.

The financial and environmental cost of the exemption

The European Union initially included aviation in the ETS on January 1, 2012, but introduced a stop-the-clock mechanism exempting extra-EEA flights following international pressure. According to a policy briefing from the SASHA Coalition, this exemption left an estimated 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions unregulated between 2012 and 2023. The coalition calculates this resulted in €26 billion in uncollected carbon market revenues during that period.

If the exemption is maintained after its scheduled expiration in 2027, the coalition projects that 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will go unregulated through 2035. A full-scope ETS could generate an estimated €14 billion in annual revenue for European Union member states by 2030.

Industry perspectives on carbon pricing and CORSIA

The debate centers on the effectiveness of the United Nations Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The European Commission is required to assess by mid-2026 whether CORSIA delivers sufficient environmental ambition. Environmental groups argue the UN scheme is structurally unfit because it relies on offsetting rather than absolute emissions reduction and targets only emissions above a high baseline. Conversely, Airlines and industry groups have historically opposed extending the EU ETS to international flights, citing concerns over market distortions, potential violations of international law, and competitive disadvantages for European hubs.

Clean technology providers argue that a strong regulatory framework is required to drive investment. During a June 9, 2026 roundtable event at the European Parliament convened by the SASHA Coalition, NEG8 Carbon Head of Business Development Dr. David Mulrooney emphasized the necessity of the ETS for commercial strategy.

“To answer your question directly: the EU ETS is foundational to our commercial strategy. NEG8 supplies atmospheric CO2 capture. The stronger and more consistent the carbon price signal, the stronger the investment case for the infrastructure we sell into. ETS is not a policy backdrop for us. It is the market mechanism our business is built on,” Mulrooney stated.

Mulrooney advocated for directing ETS revenue into DAC and eSAF to drive down costs, similar to historical cost curves for solar power and batteries. Member of the European Parliament Cynthia Ní Mhurchú also spoke at the event, noting that regulatory certainty is critical for future planning.

AirPro News analysis

The July 2026 review of the EU ETS represents a critical juncture for European aviation policy. We observe that the European Commission is caught between two competing pressures: the mandate to meet aggressive decarbonization targets and the risk of triggering international trade disputes if it unilaterally prices emissions on extra-EEA flights. The SASHA Coalition focus on revenue generation for eSAF and DAC is a strategic pivot, framing the ETS not just as a punitive tax but as a necessary funding mechanism for the aviation industry transition. Overcoming airline opposition to overlapping carbon pricing regimes will require the Commission to clearly articulate how the EU ETS and CORSIA can coexist without creating prohibitive administrative and financial burdens for operators.

Sources: SASHA Coalition

This article summarizes reporting by Aerospace America by Anne Wainscott-Sargent.

Aviation industry leaders convened in San Diego on June 9, 2026, to outline a pragmatic approach to artificial intelligence, emphasizing the deployment of AI for customer service and logistics while intentionally excluding non-deterministic algorithms from flight-critical systems to maintain certifiability.

During a panel discussion at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) AVIATION Forum, representatives from United Airlines, Reliable Robotics, Collins Aerospace, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) detailed how advanced automation is currently utilized. According to reporting by Aerospace America, the consensus among panelists highlighted a shift away from abstract autonomy concepts toward solving immediate operational friction using classic software engineering for safety-critical applications.

Airline operations and customer management

For major commercial carriers, artificial intelligence is primarily a tool for managing scale and complexity on the ground. Roberta Zimmerman, Director of Air Traffic Strategy, Data Analytics, and Strategic Vision at United Airlines, detailed the operational volume the carrier manages, expecting 5,359 daily departures and offering over 700,000 daily seats across its network. The airline recently achieved a record of 630,500 passengers flown in a single day.

To support this volume, United Airlines utilizes AI to facilitate flight-by-flight customer communication. Zimmerman noted that the technology provides rebooking alternatives for passengers with delayed first legs and calculates predicted walking times between gates at connecting airports. She also cautioned that the national airspace is a complex system of systems, meaning even minor technological integrations require careful management to prevent any loss of operational continuity.

Certification hurdles for flight-critical systems

While airlines focus on passenger logistics, aerospace manufacturers and automation startups face strict regulatory barriers when applying AI to aircraft control. Reliable Robotics, which successfully demonstrated the remote piloting of an 8,000-pound Cessna Caravan from a distance of 50 miles in 2023, is targeting automated operations at approximately 2,000 US airports equipped with Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) capabilities.

Brandon Suarez, Vice President of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration at Reliable Robotics, explained that using non-deterministic AI in flight-critical systems is currently unworkable for startups due to the lack of established certification standards. Instead, the company relies on traditional software coding languages and classic algorithms for aircraft automation. Suarez described the certification process as the task of convincing an objective expert that a system is correct, a standard that cannot be met if the software’s decision-making process cannot be explicitly explained.

Travis Klopfenstein, Innovation Program Manager at Collins Aerospace, echoed the necessity for explainable systems. He noted that securing funding and leadership approval requires transparent technology. Consequently, Collins Aerospace focuses on increasing automation to optimize human decision-making rather than pursuing full autonomy, while also developing low-criticality applications such as inventory management systems for aircraft galleys.

Establishing reliability standards

The challenge of certifying advanced automation extends to defining acceptable performance metrics. Chester Dolph, an engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center, highlighted that developers must be able to explicitly explain when and why a system works, as well as the specific conditions and reasons for its failure.

Anna Dietrich, an aviation consultant, pointed out the disparity between human and machine performance expectations. She observed that the aviation industry lacks a quantitative consensus on the reliability expected from human operators, who are afforded a margin for error that automated systems are not. Setting the acceptable performance bar for these new systems remains a primary challenge for regulators and developers alike.

AirPro News analysis

We observe a distinct maturation in how the aerospace sector discusses artificial intelligence. The dialogue has moved past the initial hype of fully autonomous passenger aircraft toward a bifurcated reality. On the ground, airlines are rapidly adopting AI to manage the staggering complexity of crew scheduling, irregular operations, and passenger logistics. In the air, manufacturers and startups are deliberately avoiding machine learning in flight control systems to ensure compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification frameworks. Until regulators establish clear, standardized methods for verifying non-deterministic software, we expect the industry will continue to rely on deterministic, classic coding for any system that directly affects safety of flight.

Sources: Aerospace America