The European Commission and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have last week officially concluded negotiations of a Memorandum of cooperation in civil aviation research and development. The Memorandum and a first technical Annex promotes interoperability between NextGen and SESAR. Other research and development issues in civil aviation covered by the Memorandum are safety, security, environment, performance, alternative fuels, aircraft design, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), sub-orbital airplanes, satellite-based communication and related ATM applications. The text is now presented to the Council and the European Parliament for approval to enter into force in early 2011. For more information, click here.