US air traffic control systems finally set for a reboot

"Get ready to start flying American skies with a renewed sense of confidence, at least eventually, as the Federal Aviation Administration has finally decided to start soliciting ideas for an overhaul of the US' antiquated air traffic control systems. In classic Trump administration style, the FAA wants a single private-sector integrator to run the overhaul, with the public footing the bill."

"The FAA published its request for solutions (RFS) for the aptly-if-not-awkwardly named Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) last week, and it appears to want to move fast with the overhaul. In an accompanying press release, the agency said that it wants the project - which the RFS noted will involve modernizing more than 74,000 pieces of equipment as well as "multiple legacy systems" - completed "within 3-4 years," though it's not even clear if the cash is available to fully fund the overhaul."

""The Integrator will be responsible for executing all necessary efforts to deliver the BNATCS to meet the NEEDS of the FAA," the document continued. "This includes upgrading facilities, acquiring and deploying advanced technologies, managing integration across diverse systems, and coordinating with stakeholders to deconflict parallel efforts across the NAS." In other words, the FAA really wants this done, but it doesn't seem to want to - or perhaps it can't at this point - do the work itself."

The FAA published a request for solutions (RFS) for the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) seeking a single private-sector integrator to lead an overhaul. The project targets modernization of more than 74,000 pieces of equipment and multiple legacy systems, with an envisioned completion within 3–4 years despite unclear funding. The integrator must upgrade facilities, acquire and deploy advanced technologies, manage integration across diverse systems, and coordinate stakeholders to deconflict parallel efforts across the national airspace system. The FAA appears to prefer outsourcing execution. The overhaul responds to critical vulnerabilities such as the 2023 NOTAM outage.

Read at Theregister