en.Wedoany.com Reported - RTX announced on May 11 that it will invest $26.5 million to expand its facility in Largo, Florida, with plans to add a radar production area by the end of 2026 for manufacturing upgraded commercial aviation radars. These radars are being installed at airports across the United States as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) new air traffic control system project. The radar system is produced by RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace, which won a $438 million FAA contract in January of this year.
Collins Aerospace will partner with another contractor, Indra, to replace over 600 radars, some of which date back to the 1980s. The FAA also plans to install thousands of new radios, hundreds of digital voice switches, and multiple new air traffic control towers and centers by 2028.
Collins Aerospace's contract covers the installation of Condor Mk3 and ASM-XR ground-based air surveillance radars. The Condor system pinpoints locations through direct communication with nearby aircraft transponders, while the ASM-XR uses reflected signals. Both are already deployed in the U.S. National Airspace System. A Collins Aerospace spokesperson stated: "For controllers, the goal is to improve situational awareness, enhance reliability, and increase confidence in the information they use to manage traffic." Compared to older radars, the new systems track aircraft better while mitigating interference from 5G, wind farms, and other sources, and require less maintenance.
ATC modernization has become a top priority for officials following the setbacks of the FAA's previous "NextGen" program and a fatal collision between a commercial jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River in January 2025. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford stated in January that much of the equipment has exceeded its expected service life, leading to increasingly costly and difficult maintenance. According to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release, radar installations earlier this year will focus on high-traffic areas.
Additionally, RTX is competing for another portion of the $12.5 billion Congress allocated for ATC modernization efforts, reportedly pitching its AutoTrac system to officials as a new common automation platform. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reiterated in April that the $12.5 billion does not cover this system and has requested an additional $20 billion from Congress to complete the modernization work.
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