Aurora Flight Sciences has been selected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to join in the project to produce a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concept study for subsonic commercial transports entering service in the 2030-35 time period.

NASA is seeking to stimulate innovation and foster the pursuit of revolutionary conceptual designs for future aircraft. The demand for air travel will only increase but the numbers of airports will not, fuel costs are growing and concern about "going green" is real. The study will be an 18-month effort to develop a concept for a 737-class transport aircraft with 70% improvement in fuel efficiency, the ability to operate from 3,000-foot runways, and significantly reduce noise and pollution emissions.

As an aerospace company engaged in the design, development, production and support of innovative aerospace vehicles Aurora Flight Sciences brings to the table excellence in aircraft component and sub-system technology as well as system integration. "Joining with MIT on this study is a very exciting expansion of Aurora's portfolio into manned transport aircraft," stated Joe Parrish, Vice President of the Research & Development Center in Cambridge, MA. "The completed study will define the technologies, research and development needed for the development of a subsonic aircraft that will change the face of aviation for years to come."