Collier Trophy Nominees Announced

This year's field includes 11 contenders vying for the prestigious prize.

Nominees for the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy comprise a large field of contenders from a diverse array of aviation and aerospace entities, with a total of 11 nominees vying for the prestigious annual award this year.

Nominees for 2019 include the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS), Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor, Boeing T-X jet trainer, Draken International Contracted Close Air Support & Adversary Air Services in Support of Combat Readiness Training, Embraer E190-E2, F-35 Integrated Test Force, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Integration of Large UAS into Civil and International Airspace, NASA/JPL Mars Cube One (MarCO) Project Team, Perlan Project, Responsive Environmental Assessment Commercially Hosted (REACH) Project and the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two Program.

Last year’s winner was the Cirrus SF50 Vision personal jet. Each year the National Aeronautic Association based in Washington, D.C. awards the prize for “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.” NAA recently clarified its rules to say that non-U.S. companies may be considered for the award as long as their projects are done in the United States. Cirrus is owned by Chinese government-controlled China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), but the Vision Jet was designed, tested and built in America.

The Collier Trophy winner will be announced this spring.

Nominees for the 2018 Robert J. Collier Trophy comprise a large field of contenders from a diverse array of aviation and aerospace entities, with a total of 11 nominees vying for the prestigious annual award this year.

Nominees for 2019 include the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS), Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor, Boeing T-X jet trainer, Draken International Contracted Close Air Support & Adversary Air Services in Support of Combat Readiness Training, Embraer E190-E2, F-35 Integrated Test Force, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Integration of Large UAS into Civil and International Airspace, NASA/JPL Mars Cube One (MarCO) Project Team, Perlan Project, Responsive Environmental Assessment Commercially Hosted (REACH) Project and the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two Program.

Last year’s winner was the Cirrus SF50 Vision personal jet. Each year the National Aeronautic Association based in Washington, D.C. awards the prize for “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.” NAA recently clarified its rules to say that non-U.S. companies may be considered for the award as long as their projects are done in the United States. Cirrus is owned by Chinese government-controlled China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), but the Vision Jet was designed, tested and built in America.

The Collier Trophy winner will be announced this spring.