MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., is moving forward with a specialized project aimed at transforming how flight deck communications are handled, shifting away from analog, voice-based radio commands toward an integrated digital data environment.
The NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) has issued a pre-solicitation synopsis indicating its intent to award a sole-source contract to Connectsix LLC in Clearwater, Fla., for Phase 5 of the Flight Deck Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) Research Project.
The procurement, classified under NAICS code 334513 - Instruments for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals - aims to bridge the gap between legacy tactical radios and modern digital flight bags.
From VHF voice to Digital EFB
The overarching objective of the Flight Deck CDM project is to streamline aircraft surface movements by reducing repetitive, voice-based taxi instructions. In previous phases of the program, NASA explored the feasibility of off-the-shelf speech-to-text models, gathered extensive taxi audio data, and tested an automated pipeline in real time that converts controller audio into digital taxi instructions.
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With Phase 5, the technical focus shifts to real-time edge computing. The project aims to:
- Digitize analog Very High Frequency (VHF) aircraft taxi commands.
- Translate those commands via a Google Speech-to-Text Large Language Model (LLM).
- Convert the captured text into formatted digital taxi instructions.
- Stream those digital instructions directly to a pilot’s electronic flight bag (EFB) and to air traffic control (ATC) networks.
For aerospace electronics engineers, the core innovation lies in deploying an optimized Ground-Based Unit (GBU). The hardware configuration relies on a Raspberry Pi processing core paired with custom audio electronics and an integrated VHF radio transceiver.
The hardware must be ruggedized, optimized to minimize ambient cabin and signal noise, and capable of segmenting audio locally on the edge before transmitting packet data to the cloud. This architecture is designed to severely mitigate latency, a critical metric for real-time airport surface operations.
Shadow and live testing schedules
According to program documentation, Connectsix LLC will provide ongoing hardware optimization and engineering support through a multi-tiered evaluation timeline:
- November 2026: In-person support for a "Shadow Mode" test-run at Moffett Field utilizing live or simulated tower audio.
- March 2027: A live-assessment test activity featuring a Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) and a mock control tower environment to validate end-to-end latency and word-error-rate (WER) metrics.
While NASA intends to proceed with a sole-source award to Connectsix LLC based on their proprietary technical development in Phases I through IV, interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to the government. NASA requests this input by 15 July 2026 at 8 a.m. Eastern. The agency named Shanna Patterson as the primary point of contact for this project. They can be reached via email at [email protected].
More information is available at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/6ee3584839724156a09828fdd6a956c4/view.
