The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing an AI system called SMART (Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories), which would extend air traffic conflict prediction from 15 minutes to two hours. Three companies, Palantir, Thales, and Air Space Intelligence, are competing for the contract. The system uses high-fidelity 4D modelling to anticipate bottlenecks and schedule conflicts before aircraft leave the ground. The project is part of a $32.5 billion modernisation programme for the FAA, which includes replacing 612 outdated radar systems and recruiting 1,200 new controllers in fiscal 2026. The FAA has said the system could be operational in some form later this year.