WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will replace much of the nation’s aging ground-based air surveillance radar infrastructure under new contracts awarded to RTX in Arlington County, Va., and Spain-based Indra Sistemas, as part of the agency's broader effort to modernize the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the initiative will replace up to 612 legacy radar systems, many of which date to the 1980s and have exceeded their intended service lives. The modernization effort is part of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Brand New Air Traffic Control System initiative and will be funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The FAA said radar replacements will begin this quarter and continue on a rolling basis through June 2028, with priority given to high-traffic airspace. In addition to fielding new hardware, the agency plans to consolidate 14 different radar configurations currently in use across the NAS, a move intended to simplify maintenance, logistics, and long-term sustainment.
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Collins tapped
RTX, through its Collins Aerospace business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been awarded a $438 million contract to support the Radar System Replacement program. Collins will deliver next-generation cooperative and non-cooperative surveillance radar systems designed to replace multiple legacy sensors with a unified architecture.
"Our radar network is outdated and long overdue for replacement," Bedford said. "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."
Under the contract, Collins will supply its Condor Mk3 cooperative surveillance radar and the ASR-XM non-cooperative radar. Cooperative radars communicate directly with aircraft transponders, while non-cooperative radars detect aircraft using reflected signals. Both systems have been qualified to meet FAA surveillance requirements through prior test-site certification activities.
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"As a trusted supplier to the FAA for more than 70 years, Collins is ready to rapidly deploy next-generation radar systems that replace outdated technology with a single, modern, and interoperable solution," said Nate Boelkins, president of Avionics at Collins Aerospace. "These systems integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, enhance safety and efficiency for air traffic controllers, reduce long-term costs, and ensure the system is prepared for the future of the National Airspace."
RTX said more than 550 of its radar systems are already operating in U.S. airspace, providing a baseline for large-scale modernization. The Condor Mk3 and ASR-XM are designed to improve aircraft tracking performance, particularly at lower altitudes, where surveillance coverage is critical for terminal airspace operations.
Indra Sistemas, headquartered in Madrid, was selected alongside RTX to support the radar replacement effort, but the company has not publicly commented on the FAA award as of this writing.
