Collins to develop air traffic project in Europe

Collins Aerospace has been selected to participate in eight projects under the European Union's SESAR 3 project, a European private-public partnership to accelerate new technologies to manage the machines in the sky — conventional aircraft, drones, air taxis and high-altitude planes.

Collins will lead the JARVIS project — it stands for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System — that will leverage artificial intelligence technologies to increase automation in the flight deck and control tower as a way to reduce pilot and operator workload while enhancing safety and security.

Collins, a division of Raytheon Technologies, will work with the air traffic managers, airlines and academics on the project.

"Collins has decades of experience in avionics and air traffic management that we will bring to bear under the EU's SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking as we work with our industry partners to chart the future of the European sky," said Mauro Atalla, senior vice president of engineering and technology for Collins.

"Together, we will develop new solutions that will form the foundation of a future system that is more efficient, safe and secure."

Collins Aerospace is the largest private employer in Cedar Rapids.