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| FAA En Route Automation Modernization | |
|---|---|
| Name | En Route Automation Modernization |
| Agency | Federal Aviation Administration |
| Country | United States |
| Status | Operational |
| Began | 2000s |
FAA En Route Automation Modernization is a United States Federal Aviation Administration program to replace legacy air traffic control systems used in high-altitude and en route centers such as Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center, Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center, and New York Air Route Traffic Control Center. The program succeeded earlier efforts like Host Computer System upgrades and interfaces with projects including NextGen (United States) and System Wide Information Management to modernize infrastructure across Federal Aviation Administration facilities and integrate with National Airspace System partners such as Nav Canada, Eurocontrol, and Airservices Australia.
En Route Automation Modernization was designed to supplant aging IBM-based and proprietary consoles used at en route centers like Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center and Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, offering updated human-machine interfaces, surveillance fusion, and trajectory processing to coordinate traffic across regions such as Eastern Air Defense Sector and Southern California TRACON. The program interacts with operational initiatives like Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications, and collaborative decision-making efforts involving stakeholders such as Air Line Pilots Association, Air Traffic Control Association, and the Department of Transportation.
Development began amid policy and procurement activity involving actors including Office of Management and Budget, Congress of the United States, and contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and IBM Federal Systems. Initial milestones referenced lessons from programs including Advanced Automation System, Free Flight, and Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System modernization. Program management drew on frameworks from National Research Council (United States), Government Accountability Office, and standards from RTCA, Incorporated to define requirements for en route automation, human factors, and cybersecurity.
The system integrates server farms, display workstations, and middleware to host functions such as conflict detection, flight data processing, and radar track correlation; components reference architectures produced by Mitre Corporation and use protocols akin to Aeronautical Telecommunications Network standards. Major subsystems include flight data processors, surveillance gateways interfacing with facilities like Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, trajectory prediction engines based on models used by NASA Ames Research Center, and controller displays derived from human factors research from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Massachusetts Institute of Technology laboratories.
Capabilities comprise digital coordination tools for centers including Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center, text-based coordination akin to Host Computer System logs, and integrated surveillance combining inputs from Radar Systems such as long-range and terminal sensors, multilateration networks used by Eurocontrol, and satellite-based feeds like Global Positioning System. Enhancements enable improved conflict alerting, reduced manual coordination for boundary crossings between facilities such as Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center and neighboring TRACONs, and improved support for flow programs like Traffic Flow Management and airspace redesigns similar to Metroplex projects.
Rollout occurred in phases across en route centers managed by Federal Aviation Administration regional headquarters, coordinated with unions including National Air Traffic Controllers Association and contractors such as Leidos and Harris Corporation. Implementation required site acceptance testing, integration with local voice communication systems, and certification processes overseen by bodies like Federal Aviation Administration certification teams and influenced by procurement rulings from Government Accountability Office. Training programs were conducted at facilities including Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and in partnership with academic institutions such as Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.
Safety analysis referenced methodologies from National Transportation Safety Board investigations and applied redundancy practices from Northrop Grumman architectures to meet availability metrics similar to those for Air Traffic Control System Command Center operations. Performance metrics included mean time between failures, latency for surveillance updates consistent with Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast timelines, and throughput comparisons to legacy systems used in Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center. Reliability testing used scenarios modeled after historical disruptions such as those studied by Transportation Security Administration and resilience planning aligned with Department of Homeland Security guidance.
The program encountered criticism over budget overruns and schedule delays discussed in reports by Government Accountability Office and debated in hearings of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Incidents during phased deployments prompted reviews by Federal Aviation Administration incident response teams and analyses referencing past program failures like Advanced Automation System cancellations. Labor groups including National Air Traffic Controllers Association raised concerns about human factors and staffing impacts during cutovers, and technology vendors disputed contract amendments in proceedings resembling disputes adjudicated by United States Court of Federal Claims.
Planned upgrades emphasize interoperability with NextGen (United States) programs, enhanced cyber defenses consistent with National Institute of Standards and Technology frameworks, and migration paths to service-oriented architectures advocated by MITRE Corporation and RTCA, Incorporated. Legacy system retirements will coordinate with international partners including Eurocontrol and Nav Canada to ensure cross-border procedures, while research collaborations with NASA and universities such as Stanford University aim to advance trajectory-based operations, machine-learning assisted conflict detection, and human-centered display concepts to inform subsequent modernization waves.
Category:Federal Aviation Administration projects