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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe FAA said on December 16, 2025, that it was committing approximately $6 billion to accelerate upgrades to air-traffic-control telecommunications and radar-surveillance systems, with major capabilities targeted for deployment by the end of 2028. That is an early commitment for specific infrastructure—not the price of replacing the entire U.S. air-traffic-control system.
The broader program began with a $12.5 billion congressional allocation. FAA and Department of Transportation documents say roughly $20 billion more will be needed, implying an approximate $31.5 billion requirement through 2028. The figure is a program estimate, not a guaranteed final cost.
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What the FAA announced
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told a House aviation subcommittee that the agency was accelerating telecommunications and radar modernization and had compressed a radar roadmap described as 15 years into three years. The FAA’s target is to deploy major upgraded systems by the end of 2028, not necessarily to rebuild every facility by that date. FAA testimony Reuters report
“Commitment” should not be read as proof that $6 billion had already been spent, installed or accepted for operational use. Procurement, obligation, installation, testing and deployment are separate stages.
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The money in context
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| $6 billion | Near-term commitment Bedford described for ATC telecommunications and radar-surveillance infrastructure. |
| $12.5 billion | Initial congressional allocation for the wider modernization program. |
| About $20 billion more | Additional funding FAA says is needed to complete the larger effort. |
| About $31.5 billion | FAA’s stated total funding requirement through 2028, combining the initial allocation and additional need; it is not a final guaranteed cost. |
The funding figures come from FAA and DOT program materials and the FAA’s FY2025 financial report. FAA prime-integrator announcement FAA FY2025 financial report DOT fact sheet
Why replacement is urgent
The FAA says the existing system remains safe but is aging and increasingly difficult to maintain. In fiscal year 2023, the Government Accountability Office classified 51 of 138 FAA air-traffic-control systems as unsustainable and another 54 as potentially unsustainable. Reported problems included obsolete functionality, scarce spare parts and modernization projects that had slipped for years. GAO report GAO report PDF
When communications or processing equipment fails, the FAA can have to slow or restrict traffic even if controllers and aircraft remain available. Modernization is therefore intended to reduce equipment-related constraints, not to declare the current system inherently unsafe.
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What is being modernized
Telecommunications networks
ATC telecommunications are resilient operational links connecting towers, approach controls, en-route centers, command centers, controllers and aircraft-facing systems. They are not ordinary consumer broadband.
- Legacy copper links are being replaced with fiber, wireless and satellite connections.
- Networks are gaining redundancy and additional high-speed connections.
- Controller-to-pilot voice communications and facility data links are being modernized.
- A new digital command-center capability is part of the planned architecture.
Bedford said more than one-third of the FAA’s copper telecommunications infrastructure had moved to fiber by December 2025. A later FAA technician update reported that 55% of old telecommunications feeds had been replaced with fiber and wireless systems by June 2026. Those are different metrics reported at different dates and should not be combined. December testimony June 2026 technician update
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Radar and surveillance
The project includes conventional radar replacement as well as systems that improve awareness close to airports. FAA materials published in May 2026 listed these program targets:
| Capability | FAA-published target |
|---|---|
| New radars | 612 |
| Replacement surface radars | 44 airports |
| Surface Awareness Initiative technology | 200 airports |
| New radios | 27,000 |
| Digital voice switches | 450 |
These are reported targets, not evidence that all listed equipment was already installed. Surface surveillance is distinct from en-route radar: it helps controllers track aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways, especially during low visibility. FAA descriptions of systems such as ASDE-X combine radar, multilateration and satellite-derived information. FAA May 2026 announcement FAA technology statements
Software, facilities and digital flight data
The “brand-new” system is a portfolio rather than one product. It includes electronic flight strips, command-center and traffic-flow software, hardware, facility systems, weather and flight-data integration, and upgraded displays and workstations.
The FAA said electronic flight strips had reached 15 airports by February 2026, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. In June 2026, it selected Air Space Intelligence to deploy Flow Management Data and Services software for the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. The software is intended to combine schedules, weather, airport capacity, airspace conditions and other constraints for traffic-flow decisions. Electronic-flight-strip announcement Air Space Intelligence announcement
Who is managing the work?
Peraton was selected on December 4, 2025, as the program’s prime integrator. That means coordinating vendors, acquisitions, schedules, deployments, technical interfaces and continuity of the National Airspace System—not necessarily manufacturing every component or building the entire system itself. FAA prime-integrator announcement
The DOT fact sheet says performance will be overseen by a senior DOT-FAA executive steering committee and evaluated against schedule, quality, cost control and National Airspace System performance. The structure is intended to create accountability and financial consequences for delay or poor performance, but it also concentrates integration responsibility in one organization. DOT fact sheet
Timeline and evidence of progress
- September 23, 2024: GAO reported widespread sustainability problems in FAA systems. GAO
- June 2025: Congress approved the $12.5 billion initial allocation, according to FAA, DOT and congressional materials. CRS background
- December 4, 2025: Peraton was announced as prime integrator. FAA announcement
- December 16, 2025: Bedford described the $6 billion commitment and three-year radar schedule. FAA testimony
- February 2026: FAA highlighted electronic flight strips at 15 airports. FAA announcement
- May 22, 2026: FAA launched its Modern Skies site and published nationwide equipment targets. FAA announcement
- June 2026: FAA selected Air Space Intelligence for command-center flow-management software. FAA announcement
- End of 2028: Target for deployment of major modernization capabilities. FAA Modern Skies
What travelers may—and may not—notice
If delivered, the upgrades could reduce traffic restrictions caused by failed links or obsolete equipment, improve surveillance quality, speed outage recovery and provide better runway and taxiway awareness. They may also improve traffic-flow decisions by sharing more timely data among facilities.
They cannot eliminate delays caused by weather, airport and runway capacity, airline schedules, controller staffing, aircraft maintenance, security events, military airspace, construction or facility closures. The modernization should therefore be judged by reliability and recovery metrics, not a promise that every flight will be on time.
What controllers and facilities will face
- New radios, voice switches, displays and electronic flight strips.
- Revised procedures, certification and training.
- Installation work in active facilities and possible parallel operation of old and new systems.
- New maintenance, troubleshooting and cybersecurity responsibilities.
- Cutovers that must preserve live traffic operations and failover capability.
The DOT says the integrator must deliver the program without disrupting the National Airspace System. That requirement makes testing, staged deployment, fallback procedures and workforce readiness as important as purchasing hardware. DOT fact sheet
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Compressed schedule
Moving from a 15-year radar roadmap to three years leaves less time for procurement, site preparation, factory and field testing, cybersecurity review, training and operational acceptance. A missed milestone could cascade across dependent facilities.
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Legacy cutover and integration
Replacing copper with fiber, wireless or satellite links can improve resilience, but only if redundancy, failover and maintenance procedures are proven before a live cutover. A prime integrator may clarify accountability while increasing dependence on one coordinator across many technologies and contractors.
Cybersecurity
More connected systems can improve information sharing while expanding the attack surface. Oversight should cover operational communications, surveillance feeds, command-center software, remote network equipment, vendor access, software updates and backup recovery. Public program materials do not by themselves establish that the finished system is secure.
Funding and oversight
The $12.5 billion allocation is described as a down payment, with about $20 billion still required. Future appropriations, inflation, contract changes and technical discoveries could change the final bill. GAO has urged stronger baselines, risk management, documentation and oversight of FAA modernization investments. GAO report
Workforce and obsolescence
Controllers, technicians and engineers must learn new systems while maintaining legacy equipment. Procurement also needs open interfaces, interoperability and lifecycle support so a rapid replacement does not create another generation of difficult-to-maintain technology.
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How this differs from NextGen
NextGen is the FAA’s multidecade modernization effort involving procedures, surveillance, communications and traffic management. The newer Brand New Air Traffic Control System, or BNATCS, is an accelerated infrastructure and technology portfolio focused on replacing aging equipment and facilities. It is better understood as a concentrated implementation program within the broader modernization history than as a single boxed replacement for every ATC function. FAA FY2025 financial report
What to watch through 2028
- Whether the FAA publishes measurable reliability, outage and recovery baselines.
- Which facilities and systems are accepted for operational use, rather than merely purchased or installed.
- Whether fiber, wireless and satellite links have tested failover during cutovers.
- How Congress tracks the additional funding requirement and schedule changes.
- Independent audits of cybersecurity, vendor access and software-update controls.
- Controller and technician training capacity and retention.
- Whether the 2028 target covers all components or only major capabilities.
The Bottom Line
The FAA’s $6 billion announcement is a serious, accelerated investment in communications and surveillance—not the total cost of a new national ATC system. The decisive test will be whether the agency and Peraton can replace fragile legacy infrastructure safely, keep live traffic moving, document measurable reliability gains and secure the roughly $31.5 billion program requirement through 2028.
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