In some areas, air traffic still operates using floppy discs, so the FAA has just selected two companies for a $26 billion radar overhaul

The federal government has selected two companies to replace 612 radar systems across the nation that date back to the 1980s as part of an overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system.

Transportation Secretary and the Federal Aviation Administration stated on Monday that contractors and Spanish firm Indra will replace the radar systems by the summer of 2028. The administration set an ambitious goal of finishing the overhaul by the end of 2028 near the conclusion of President Donald Trump’s current term in office.

“Our radar network is outdated and早就该更换了. Many of the units have exceeded their intended service life, making them increasingly costly to maintain and difficult to support,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

The FAA has been spending most of its $3 billion equipment budget just maintaining the fragile old system that still depends on floppy discs in some places. Some of the equipment is old and no longer manufactured, so the FAA sometimes has to search for spare parts on.

twice disabled the radar for air traffic controllers managing planes around Newark Liberty International Airport last spring, and those issues led to thousands of cancellations and delays at the major hub airport.

in the system helps keep flights safe, but there have been several instances when both the primary and backup systems failed, as occurred in the Philadelphia facility directing planes into and out of the Newark airport.

The FAA didn’t immediately give an estimate of the cost of the new radar systems that will replace 14 different existing radar systems in use across the country and will simplify maintenance and repairs.

The FAA has already committed more than $6 billion of the $12.5 billion that Congress approved to pay for the overhaul, but Duffy has said that another $20 billion will be required to complete the project. The agency has already replaced more than one-third of the outdated copper wires the system was relying on with modern connections like fiber optic lines, and it hired a national security contractor named to oversee the work.

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