The article is devoted to the presentation of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of projects for the creation of complex technical products of a new generation. It is shown that the classification of the projects under consideration creates methodological prerequisites for increasing the accuracy and quality of forecasts of time and resources. It is asserted that in the general set of innovative processes, innovative projects for creating a new generation of aviation products fall into an independent subgroup of innovative projects for creating complex technical objects of a new generation. Allocation of a separate subgroup of projects allows you to form specific methods of modeling, analysis, forecasting and management for them. Materials and methods. Justification is carried out in the form of a logical conclusion. There are four indicators that characterize the design processes. Based on the analysis of the features of the projects for the creation of aircraft products, it was concluded that it is necessary to clarify the set of criteria for projects to create complex equipment of a new generation. For this group of projects, in addition to the existing four criteria of goals, timing, resources and organization of project execution, it is proposed to add a fifth criterion – the criterion of project uncertainty. Result. It is shown that in the aggregate a group of five criteria makes it possible to single out from the whole set of innovative processes associated with the creation of new technology, a subgroup of processes for creating complex technology of a new generation. The differences between the interpretation of uncertainty adopted in the work and the interpretation of uncertainty used in the project analysis as a set of risks accompanying projects are noted. Conclusion. An integral criterion for the magnitude of sociophysical potential has been formed, combining the criteria of goals, timing, resources, organization and uncertainty of innovative projects. An example of the interpretation of the integral criterion for the case of creating a new gene¬ration aircraft product is given.