U.S. Government Announces Major Overhaul of Air Traffic Radar Systems

Thu Jan 08 2026 04:10:28 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The U.S. government has selected RTX and Indra to replace 612 outdated radar systems by 2028, responding to modern air traffic control needs.

As part of a comprehensive multibillion-dollar overhaul of the air traffic control system, the federal government has contracted RTX and Indra to replace 612 radar systems that are decades old. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that these outdated systems will be upgraded by the summer of 2028, addressing critical safety concerns and ongoing maintenance issues that have plagued the current setup. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has expressed urgency in completing this transition, as existing equipment has repeatedly led to significant disruptions, including major flight delays.

The federal government has selected two companies to replace 612 radar systems nationwide that are outdated and dating back to the 1980s. This move is part of a significant multibillion-dollar overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that contractors RTX and the Spanish firm Indra will take charge of the upgrades, aiming to replace the radar systems by the summer of 2028. This ambitious goal aligns with potential completion near the end of the current presidential administration.

“Our radar network is outdated and long overdue for replacement.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,” stated FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. The FAA has been allocating most of its approximately $3 billion equipment budget just to maintain the brittle existing systems, which in some instances still operate on floppy discs. In a system as crucial as aviation, some replacement parts have been found on platforms like eBay due to the cessation of the original equipment's manufacturing.

Last spring's technical failures led to interruptions of radar services at Newark Liberty International Airport, resulting in thousands of cancellations and delays for travelers. This incident highlighted the urgent need for a reliable and modern radar system.

Redundancy in radar systems is essential for flight safety, yet there have been instances of both primary and backup systems failing, such as in Philadelphia, where operations directing planes into Newark were compromised.

While the FAA did not provide a specific figure for the cost of the new radar systems, it has already committed over $6 billion of the $12.5 billion appropriation from Congress for this overhaul. An estimated additional $20 billion will be required for the project. So far, more than one-third of the outdated copper wiring has been replaced with modern fiber optic lines, and the FAA has engaged a national security contractor, Peraton, to oversee these vital upgrades.