Air traffic controllers say aging radar risks safety and capacity as more than 600 units are replaced

Air traffic controllers and a presenter described long-standing problems with aging radar and surface-surveillance equipment, saying the technology can produce false targets and that controllers sometimes still rely on binoculars to locate aircraft on the tarmac. The presenter said the equipment’s age has led to more frequent outages and the possibility that an apparent radar contact could be a false target, which "might be a vehicle on the runway."

An air traffic controller told the briefing that the radar systems currently in service are decades old and costly to repair, and that sourcing replacement parts can take months. "When we have to wait on parts, it reduces the capacity of the airspace system," the controller said, describing how outages constrain operations.

The controller said the agency responsible is planning a large-scale upgrade. "We're replacing over 600 of them with state-of-the-art radar and surface surveillance," the controller said, adding that the new systems will indicate exactly where each plane is, its altitude and its direction. The speaker said the new equipment will provide visibility that human observers cannot, and will operate reliably at night and in inclement weather such as fog.

Speakers emphasized that the upgrades have been requested within the air-traffic community for years and described the improvements as long overdue. The briefing did not specify which agency is managing the replacement program, the budget for the work, or an implementation timeline.

Without funding or timeline details in the transcript, it is not possible to confirm when the new radars will be fully deployed or which airports will receive the upgraded systems first. The briefing ended with the assertion that the new radar equipment should make operations "more reliable" and "more consistent."