The Federal Aviation Administration has committed to spending $6 billion on air traffic control telecom and radar infrastructure by the end of the year as part of a drive to modernize the country’s ATC network. Earlier this month, the US announced that tech company Peraton would be the project leader of its new ATC system in a multi-billion-dollar contract.

The National Airspace System has been widely criticized as being outdated and reliant on old technology, and has often been at the forefront of news coverage in recent years amid frequent system outages, staffing shortages, near misses, and accidents. Perhaps the most notable example of this was the American Eagle flight 5342 tragedy in January.

FAA To Spend $6 Billion This Year On ATC Overhaul

Given the dire situation the country’s ATC system is in, the US Department of Transportation and the FAA are working diligently to expedite its modernization. As reported by Reuters, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told a US House aviation subcommittee hearing this week that the radar and telecom modernization timeline is being shortened to just three years instead of 15. With the goal of implementing a new system by the end of 2028, the US will be rapidly replacing core infrastructure.

This includes telecom networks, radar systems, and other hardware and software, as the country modernizes its « safe, but old » airspace ecosystem. To that end, the agency is pumping $6 billion into the system upgrades this year alone, with initial work focusing on developing a new digital command center and transitioning from copper to modern fiber infrastructure. Bedford told the US House subcommittee on Tuesday:

« The National Airspace System must be renewed. We’ve compressed radar and telecom modernization into a three-year timeline, and we’ve already transitioned one-third of the copper infrastructure to fiber. »

Overall Cost Likely To Exceed $32 Billion

Peraton was named as the project leader of the ATC overhaul, with the US making a $12.5 billion down payment earlier this month. However, the total cost of modernizing the country’s ATC ecosystem is estimated at over $32 billion, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calling for another $20 billion until the end of 2028. Although it is certainly a costly investment, the current infrastructure is already expensive to maintain, and breakdowns are becoming more frequent due to old equipment.

Over 110 ATC towers will be equipped with new Tower Simulation Systems, while 435 towers will get new Enterprise Information Display Systems. 44 airports are also slated to receive upgraded surface radars, 89 airports will get new Terminal Flight Data Manager tech, and around 200 airports will be fitted with Surface Awareness Initiative surveillance technology.

The overhaul of the NAS has been extremely slow, with continued funding delays and setbacks pushing many aspects of the project behind schedule by several years. A Government Accountability Office review from earlier this year identified that, out of 138 ATC systems, 51 were deemed unsustainable by the FAA, while another 54 were considered potentially unsustainable.

NextGen Project Delays

The FAA unveiled its Next Generation Air Transportation System plan over two decades ago, but progress has been extremely slow. A recent report by the Transportation Department Office of Inspector General found that the FAA had only achieved 16% of the benefits promised under the NextGen plan, with many key programs delayed until 2030 or beyond.

While shortcomings with the NAS have been highlighted for decades, a series of recent accidents and near misses has pushed its modernization to the forefront. Along with a sharp increase in close calls at airports, the American Eagle Flight 5342 tragedy, which led to 67 deaths after a regional jet collided with a US Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport (DCA), has pushed lawmakers into accelerating the NAS overhaul.