Tech Park officials hope new consulting contract will advance aviation technology | Local News
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — A newly approved contract between The National Aerospace Research & Technology Park (NARTP) and Deloitte Consulting LLP will hopefully help the facility's push to become a national leader in aero technology.
The contract, which the park's officials announced Monday, is being made to help develop a strategy to achieve goals in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), new technology many in the industry hope may become the future of aviation.
“The National Aerospace Research & Technology Park believes that New Jersey is uniquely capable of becoming a global leader in the area of Advanced Aerial Mobility,” NARTP President and CEO Howard Kyle in a statement Monday. “The economic development benefits related to this emerging area of aviation would be substantial and transformative for our region.”
AAM technology uses electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft employing battery power to hover, take off and land vertically, the technology park explained. AAM was developed from advances in electric propulsion and the growing demand for more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
New AAM companies, such as Joby and Jaunt Air Mobility, along with agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, are working to get this type of technology on the market for use, which experts say could be utilized for various measures, such as emergency services, rural-urban transit and package delivery, the technology park said.
Deloitte, which is recognized as an expert in the field, has conducted several studies regarding AAM, the technology park said.
According to one recent report, U.S. aerospace and defense companies are poised to lead the nascent global industry and are predicted to become mainstream in the 2030s.
“As our region works to diversify its economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and overcome its reliance on a single industry, the aviation sector emerges as a prime sector for investment, growth, and innovation,” said NARTP Chairman Mark Loeben.
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