San Bernardino International Airport in California has become the first airport to install Collins Aerospace’s Tower MicroELITE digital display and surveillance system. The deployment gives the airport’s contract tower a compact tool combining ADS-B and radar data to support controller situational awareness, aircraft sequencing and traffic monitoring.
The system received Federal Aviation Administration approval as an Airborne Position Reference Tool, making it available to eligible FAA Contract Tower airports and privately operated air-traffic-control facilities. Collins Aerospace, part of RTX, developed Tower MicroELITE for regional and general-aviation reliever airports, business-aviation terminals, heliports and other facilities that need surveillance information without a larger terminal automation installation.
Tower MicroELITE is derived from Collins’ Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System interface. The company describes it as scalable and relatively easy to integrate, with an enterprise-grade design intended to help controllers manage increasing traffic demand. The FAA operates or oversees 265 contract towers, providing a potential market for the system alongside privately operated facilities.
The available information does not specify the installation date, procurement value, contract terms, system quantity or whether the deployment has entered full operational service. No measured safety, capacity or efficiency results have been reported.