American aerospace and defense company awarded $875 million multi-year software and AI contract by the Federal Aviation Administration.
BOSTON, June 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ASI, the American aerospace and defense AI company whose technology already powers live operations with major US Airlines and the U.S. Air Force today announced it has been awarded a 12 year, $875 Million software and AI contract by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deploy the Flow Management Data & Services (FMDS) and Strategic Management of Airspace, Routing, and Trajectories (SMART) programs.
“Every day, our air traffic control professionals safely manage the most complex and dynamic airspace systems in the world,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “FMDS and SMART will give controllers modern, data-driven tools to better anticipate demand, balance capacity, and manage traffic before delays occur. Together, these technologies will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, strengthen system resilience, and make the National Airspace System more efficient while maintaining our gold standard of safety.”
The award marks a generational investment in the software infrastructure that keeps American aviation flowing. FMDS and SMART are core air traffic management software systems that serve as the central nervous system for the National Airspace System (NAS).
“For too long, modernizing America’s air traffic control system has been a promise but under President Donald Trump, Secretary Duffy, and Administrator Bedford, it is now a reality,” said Phillip Buckendorf, CEO of ASI. “ASI has built and deployed AI-powered software that predicts flight paths, optimizes traffic across the entire National Airspace System, and delivers a safer, faster, and smarter experience for every American who flies. We are proud to bring that capability to the FAA.”
Under the contract, ASI will support the FAA’s modernization to build a Brand New Air Traffic Control System, bringing together operational data, predictive modeling, and decision-support applications into a unified software and AI platform.
Under the leadership of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, the FAA has targeted an initial operational SMART deployment for fall of 2026.
“ASI has spent years building and proving our technology in the most demanding operational environments in American aviation with the major airlines and the Department of War,” said Bernard Asare, President of Civil Aviation at ASI. “We have invested nearly $100 million of our own resources to develop a platform that is operational today, and we are honored to bring that same proven capability to the FAA and to the American people at national scale.”
Unlike traditional government modernization efforts that require years of custom development before deployment, ASI enters the SMART and FMDS programs with technology already operating at scale.
ASI’s Flyways AI platform currently supports flight routing, air traffic management and safety across a substantial share of U.S. domestic air travel. The same platform is also deployed across the Department of War with the U.S. Air Force and Indo-Pacific Command, supporting mission planning and operational decision-making in high-consequence environments.
As SMART and FMDS are deployed over the next 12 to 24 months, the FAA is expected to gain enhanced ability to anticipate and manage disruptions before they move through the airspace system: improving resiliency, reducing delays, and creating a more reliable travel experience for American passengers who fly each year.
About ASI
ASI is an American AI research and product company building frontier capabilities for high-consequence decision-making in the physical world. The company’s technology is deployed across critical industries like air traffic management, energy, logistics, and defense, and is in operational use by major institutions like Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, National Grid, and the Department of War. ASI is headquartered in Boston and backed by top-tier investors like Andreessen Horowitz.
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SOURCE Air Space Intelligence
