“Replacing this network of ground-based radars, which are crucial for detecting and tracking aircraft, will enhance the safety and efficiency of our skies,” it said.
“The new radar contracts, which are part of President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s brand-new air traffic control initiative, were awarded to RTX and Indra. The contract will be paid for by the One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Indra Group USA is a defense and space manufacturing company headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, while RTX is an aviation and aerospace component manufacturer based in Arlington, Virginia.
The contracts awarded to the two companies will replace up to 612 old radars across the country with modern surveillance radars by June 2028, according to DOT. The replacement process will kick off this year and prioritize high-traffic areas.
“While our air travel system is the safest in the world, most of our radars date back to the 1980s. It’s unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“Thanks to President Trump and the One Big Beautiful Bill, we’ll begin replacing this outdated technology to boost safety and enable the next big wave of innovation in our skies.”
Out of the total funds, $3 billion was set aside for radar systems replacement, $1.9 billion for building a new air route traffic control center, and $1 billion for terminal radar approach control facilities.
In its latest statement, DOT said that in addition to modernizing surveillance radars, the FAA will also consolidate the 14 different configurations in the National Airspace System, which is expected to simplify maintenance and logistics.
Once completed, the new air traffic control system will improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce outages, and support the future growth of American airspace, it said.
Peraton has already started work on key priorities, including installing voice switches at airports and transitioning the air traffic control system’s copper infrastructure to fiber, DOT said in its latest statement. The company will also be working with RTX and Indra.
Commenting on awarding contracts to RTX and Indra, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said: “Our radar network is outdated and long overdue for replacement.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.
“We are buying radar systems that will bring production back to the U.S. and provide a vital surveillance backbone to the National Airspace System.”
The letter, sent by Airlines for America, a trade association of leading U.S. airlines, said outdated technology and equipment from the 1980s were being used in the system, with 92 percent of the FAA’s Facilities and Equipment budget going toward maintaining these “outdated” systems.
Air traffic controllers should not be operating with “corroded copper wiring, floppy disks, and physical strips of paper with flight numbers,” the CEOs wrote.
There were some air traffic disruption incidents reported last year due to outdated systems.
“The primary communication line went down, the backup line didn’t fire, and so for 30 seconds we lost contact with air traffic,” Duffy said in a media interview at the time.
“Now, were planes going to crash? No. They have communication devices ... but it’s a sign that we have a frail system in place, and it has to be fixed.”
In July, Airlines for America commended Trump for signing into law the OBBB, which included the $12.5 billion funding.
“Sustained federal investment is essential to ensure the system is fully overhauled and appropriately staffed to ensure a resilient National Airspace System (NAS) today and to prepare for the evolving needs of tomorrow,” the group said.
“It is past time to eradicate antiquated floppy disks, copper wires, and paper strips and replace them with smarter, more efficient 21st-century equipment and technology.”
