Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT1) Project | NNH16ZEA001N AATT1

Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH16ZEA001N AATT1

NASA is offering a discretionary research grant opportunity called the Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT1) Project under Amendment 3 of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2016 NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The central goal is to spur teams to develop a conceptual design for a next-generation, single-aisle commercial transport aircraft that could realistically enter airline service in the mid-term timeframe, defined here as 2035 or earlier. The emphasis is not on incremental improvements to current tube-and-wing airliners, but on a credible, aircraft-level concept that shows how advanced technologies, especially electrified propulsion, could materially change performance and environmental outcomes.

The solicitation is specifically aimed at aircraft concepts that use a significant amount of electrical power for propulsion, beyond the kinds of electrical loads already found on modern aircraft (such as flight controls, environmental systems, and wing de-icing). In other words, NASA is looking for designs where electric power is meaningfully tied to thrust generation, whether through full or partial turboelectric architectures or full or partial hybrid-electric configurations. These include arrangements where turbine engines generate electrical power that is distributed to motors driving fans (turboelectric), as well as combinations of conventional propulsion with battery-assisted or electrically driven propulsion elements (hybrid-electric). The intent is to explore electrified aircraft propulsion as a pathway to major reductions in energy use and environmental impact while still meeting real airline operational needs.

A key requirement is that the proposed aircraft concept must match the operational role of a conventional Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 class airplane. NASA frames this as a 154-passenger-class, single-aisle transport with a twin-turbofan configuration and the ability to meet typical single-aisle mission expectations. Proposals therefore need to demonstrate that the concept is not just a laboratory idea, but something that can plausibly deliver the capabilities airlines depend on in this market segment, while outperforming the conventional baseline in multiple aircraft-level metrics.

On performance, NASA is explicitly asking for improvement relative to today s single-aisle transports across mission energy use, life-cycle carbon, emissions, and noise. This pushes proposers to think beyond fuel burn alone and address broader environmental accounting, including upstream and operational impacts implied by electrification choices. Noise is also singled out, which typically requires integrated airframe and propulsion design thinking (for example, fan placement, shielding, distributed propulsion concepts, or operational strategies) rather than treating acoustics as an afterthought. The overall expectation is a well-supported conceptual design that shows how electrified propulsion can translate into measurable, system-level benefits.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is posted through NASA s NSPIRES system and is identified by Funding Opportunity Number NNH16ZEA001N AATT1. It is categorized as a grant under science, technology, and other research and development, with CFDA 43.002. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning NASA is open to proposals from a broad range of organizations, not limited to a narrow applicant type. NASA also encourages proposers to assemble strong, complementary teams, explicitly calling out partnerships among industry, small businesses, and universities. This signals that NASA expects the work to span multiple specialties, such as aircraft conceptual design, propulsion and powertrain architecture, electrical power generation and distribution, energy storage, thermal management, safety and certification considerations, and system-level modeling of emissions and noise.

The timeline provided in the announcement sets a Notice of Intent (NOI) deadline of October 14, 2016, with full proposals due November 28, 2016. The funding listing indicates this is a NASA Headquarters opportunity and was created on September 29, 2016. While the listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided text, the overall framing suggests a competitive R and D solicitation intended to generate credible concept designs that can guide NASA s research priorities and help mature electrified propulsion approaches for the single-aisle commercial market.

• The NASA Headquarters in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT1) Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.002.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-09-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-11-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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