Increased use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in supply chain and logistics has led to increasing demand for, and subsequent development of, a myriad of active battery-powered RFID tags with read ranges ranging from a few meters to kilometers and including non-volatile memory, sensors, and human-machine interfaces. Aerospace industry adoption of RFID technology will be enhanced significantly by standardization of Active RFID tags.
The requirements for Active RFID tags to be used in the aerospace industry are significantly different from non-aviation uses. Active RFID tags transmitting during flight have the potential to interfere with aircraft operation. The technology is required to perform within specification under extreme operating conditions over many years Furthermore, the aerospace industry is subject to unique considerations regarding qualification, regulations, and safety, which are enforced by national authorities such as the FAA, EASA, FCC, etc. These requirements, coupled with the relatively low manufacturing volumes, will drive up the per-part cost of tags developed for the aerospace industry. This will generate the need for a unique set of RFID tags specifically designed for use on aircraft. Adherence to this standard will decrease the development cost of these low-volume, high-capability RFID tags.