U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has completed phase one of a major overhaul to the nation’s aging air traffic control system, including upgrades to critical components that alert pilots and controllers to potential hazards. The effort replaces outdated infrastructure from the 1960s through 1990s, such as copper telecommunications with fiber, wireless, and satellite technologies across over 4,600 sites, along with 25,000 new radios and 475 voice switches.
Key advancements include modernizing 618 radars past their lifecycle, expanding Surface Awareness Initiative systems to track aircraft on runways at 200 airports, and installing new hardware and software for a unified platform in towers, TRACONs, and centers. Officials report more than 250 sites already upgraded, with surface awareness systems deployed at 54 airports and five new radar technical instructors added to FAA training.
The ambitious plan, described as a call to action following outages like those at Newark Liberty International Airport, also builds six new control centers—the first since the 1960s—and adds 174 weather stations in Alaska. Partnering with Peraton, the initiative deploys agentic AI to accelerate progress, aiming for full completion in three years.