RAF SIGNS ON TO AIR TRAFFIC MODERNIZATION COALITION

The RAF has added its name to the over 50 aviation-related organizations, manufacturers and stakeholders that support Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s Air Traffic Control Modernization Plan.

The US system handles more than 45,000 daily flights, and the FAA relies on aging radio equipment that air traffic controllers depend on to communicate with pilots. Some of those radios are more than 30 years old. Much of the infrastructure dates back to the 1970s. “This technology is 50 years old that our controllers use to scan the skies and keep airplanes separated from one another,” Secretary Duffy (AP).

The plan includes creating six new FAA air traffic control centers, building 15 new towers combined with Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities at airports across the country; and the replacement of 618 US radar systems.

“Although ATC might not appear to be a concern of the RAF, modernization of the system is paramount to all who fly. The RAF is an active partner in this effort,” says RAF Chairman John McKenna.

The digital equipment upgrade is expected to be more reliable and will provide more clarity, as well as making the system more secure.

Submitted May 13, 2025
By Carmine Mowbray
Photo by Cameron Donough