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2d ago

U.S. Picks RTX and Indra to Replace 612 Air-Traffic Radars by Summer 2028

A large funding gap still looms over the broader modernization.

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2013 photo, an air traffic controller works at computer screens and a digital clock showing Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or Zulu time, is seen in this view looking eastward from the control tower at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, photo, a computer screen shows all air traffic in real time over North America in the control tower at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
Air traffic controllers. (Photo by Ron Watts/Getty Images)
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2008, file photo an air traffic controller stands beneath a radar screen in the control tower at Washington's Reagan National Airport. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

Overview

  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA named RTX and Spain's Indra to deliver new radar units, with the broader air-traffic control overhaul slated to finish by the end of 2028.
  • Congress approved $12.5 billion for modernization and the FAA has committed more than $6 billion, while Duffy says roughly $20 billion more will be needed to complete the project.
  • Work is set to begin this quarter; RTX’s Collins Aerospace said it received a $438 million award for next-generation systems, and the FAA has not provided a per‑system cost estimate.
  • The plan consolidates 14 radar types and builds on early upgrades, including replacing over one‑third of copper lines with fiber optics and bringing in Peraton as prime integrator.
  • Officials point to mounting maintenance burdens and safety risks from 1980s-era equipment, citing two Newark radar outages last spring and a redundancy failure at the Philadelphia facility.