Overview
- At a Tuesday event in Washington, transportation leaders reported early gains on the air traffic control overhaul and asked Congress for about $10 billion to fund the next software phase.
- DOT and the FAA say they have replaced nearly half of legacy copper lines with fiber, converted about 270 radio sites, added surface awareness at 54 airports, and moved 17 towers to electronic flight strips.
- FAA teams and vendors have built digital twins of the National Airspace System using decades of data to test predictive tools that could smooth schedules before planes push back.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said AI will help controllers manage flows but will not replace them, framing the software as decision support to cut delays and fuel burn.
- Peraton, the prime integrator, is using AI to track millions of program records for risks as the agencies target full buildout by the end of 2028, a goal that depends on new appropriations after the initial $12.5 billion down payment.