In the present paper the development of vortex wake starting from the vortex sheet at the trailing edge of a transport aircraft wing up to the far field over 60 spans downstream is investigated. Different configurations of a half model were investigated in wind and water tunnels as well as in a towing tank by hot-wire anemometry and particle image velocimetry. In addition to an understanding of the development of the wake, means for the attenuation of the impact on following aircraft were investigated. A fin was installed on the suction side of the wing to investigate the impact on the vortex system downstream. The possibility of exploiting short-wave cooperative instabilities to accelerate vortex decay were investigated as well. This included active excitation of instabilities via ailerons oscillated in antiphase.