WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA have awarded contracts to begin the replacement of the nation’s “aging” ground-based radar system, according to agency officials.
“Our radar network is outdated and long overdue for replacement. Many of the units have exceeded their intended service life, making them increasingly expensive to maintain and difficult to support,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “We are buying radar systems that will bring production back to the U.S. and provide a vital surveillance backbone to the National Airspace System.”
Under the new contracts, awarded to RTX and Indra, 612 radars will be replaced by June 2028. Replacements are scheduled to begin the first quarter of 2026 and will proceed on a rolling basis, prioritizing high-traffic areas, FAA officials explained.
In addition to modernizing the FAA’s network of surveillance radars, the agency will consolidate the 14 different configurations in the NAS today, simplifying maintenance and logistics, FAA officials added.
For more information: FAA.gov
It is a lot more than just 612 RADAR units replaced. And a huge amount of work to be done quickly. I hope the FAA can do it.
From the FAA site:
5,170 new high speed network connections on fiber, satellite, and wireless
27,625 new radios
462 new digital voice switches
612 state of the art radars
44 airports will have new replacement surface radars
200 airports will have Surface Awareness Initiative surveillance technology
89 airports will have new Terminal Flight Data Manager tools
435 air traffic control towers will have new Enterprise Information Display Systems
113 air traffic control towers will have new Tower Simulation Systems
1 new consolidated Air Route Traffic Control Center (first new one since the 1960s)
110 additional weather stations in Alaska
64 more weather camera sites in Alaska
1 new consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control