Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus chosen for new high-tech FAA research center
Texas A&M-Fort Worth has been chosen to house the lab of a new high-tech federal aviation technology testing program.
The Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies will be based at the downtown campus and led by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday.
The CAAT will have an airspace laboratory, flight demonstration zones and testing corridors in the Metroplex and across Texas. It will research and test new technologies like drones, air taxis and supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.
“The CAAT will play a pivotal role in advancing aviation technologies and ensuring their safe integration into the National Airspace System (NAS),” said the FAA’s announcement.
Texas A&M was chosen from 28 proposals because of its existing aviation testing infrastructure and strong academic and industry partnerships, according to the agency’s announcement. The university system’s proximity to major airports and the FAA’s Southwest Regional Office in north Fort Worth also made it an attractive leader for the project.
“We’re thrilled the Department of Transportation has selected The Texas A&M University System to lead the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies in Fort Worth,” Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp said. “The Texas A&M System will support DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration to facilitate the integration of advanced air mobility and drive innovation of cutting-edge aviation technologies.”
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has had an FAA-designated unmanned aircraft systems test site, the Autonomy Research Institute, since June 2014. Over 5,500 research flights have been conducted at the ARI since it was certified as an unmanned aircraft systems test site.
The CAAT was established as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas co-sponsored.
“I’m confident this new research and testing center will help the private sector create thousands of high-paying jobs and grow the Texas economy through billions in new investments,” Cruz said.
Cruz held a roundtable discussion about the center in Dallas in August, which featured representatives from a number of companies with a presence in the Metroplex, including Southwest Airlines and Wing Aviation.
Government entities and private organizations will likely collaborate on research at the new center. A number of other universities are expected to be involved, including the University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas Arlington, Louisiana State University and Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership.
Texas A&M-Fort Worth is under construction in downtown. Texas A&M expects the multi-million dollar campus will anchor a new innovation district, attracting new companies to the area and creating jobs.
The campus’ first building is expected to be complete in summer 2026. The research and innovation building, which is slated to house public-private partnerships and a number of state agencies, has yet to break ground.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
