The United States is setting out on an ambitious journey to modernize our air traffic control system once again, but let’s not fall into the trap of thinking there’s a clear finish line. This is a journey without an endpoint.
For almost 20 years, the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System, known as NextGen, has been our roadmap for updating the National Airspace System (NAS). The impact of these changes is palpable. According to the FAA, the enhancements made between 2010 and 2025 are expected to bring about $13.9 billion in benefits such as shorter flight times, savings on operating costs and fuel, and, crucially, improved safety.
While we celebrate these gains, we should also take a moment to reflect and learn from this experience. The takeaway isn’t that we need another NextGen; rather, we need to shift our mindset. Modernizing the NAS should no longer be viewed as a series of large, disconnected projects with start and end dates. Technology evolves at lightning speed, the system is deeply interconnected, and the risks of letting our modernization efforts stall are simply too high.
At AIAA, we believe that continuous modernization should be the guiding principle for the NAS. AIAA’s recently adopted position paper, “Sustaining the National Airspace System: A Call for Continuous Modernization,” explores this approach in great detail.
Addressing Legacy Challenges Right Now
A recent FAA assessment of 138 air traffic control systems found that 51 are unsustainable, with another 54 on shaky ground. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office pinpointed 17 systems that pose concerns due to their age, operational significance, and anticipated modernization dates.
While these figures are certainly alarming, we also need to keep things in perspective. Just because a system is labeled unsustainable doesn’t mean it’s on the verge of failure or inherently unsafe. Older equipment can keep functioning well for a long time, but as the years roll on, challenges arise. Parts become harder to source, maintenance becomes tricky, and we risk losing the technical know-how needed to keep everything running smoothly. As software and cybersecurity demands shift, an otherwise reliable system might become a burden to maintain or, worse, restrict the capabilities of the larger NAS.
This puts us in a tough spot when it comes to making policy decisions. If we replace equipment too soon, taxpayers might feel the sting of losing out on the remaining value of perfectly good assets, and the FAA could end up taking on unnecessary risks during the transition. On the flip side, if we hang on to aging infrastructure for too long, it can start to cost us more in maintenance, become trickier to support, and struggle to work with the latest technologies. It’s a delicate balance we need to strike.
Simply relying on age as a measure of what needs replacing is not a smart modernization strategy. The FAA must adopt a risk-based lifecycle approach that weighs a system’s reliability, operational significance, supportability, cybersecurity, maintenance expenses, and workforce readiness. It’s equally important to assess the risks of inaction with the same rigor we apply to modernization risks.
A New Beginning with BNATCS
The Department of Transportation and the FAA are currently launching the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) initiative, which aims to tackle the aging communication, surveillance, automation, and facilities across the NAS.
This exciting work is already in full swing! Thanks to initiatives like BNATCS and the FAA’s Modern Skies project, we’re seeing a significant transformation in our telecommunications infrastructure. They’re rolling out new surveillance and automation technologies that really enhance our air travel experience, while also keeping the public informed about the modernization efforts happening across the nation.
The recent strides we’ve made show just how much can be achieved when we bring together funding, smart procurement, industry capabilities, and operational needs. AIAA is thrilled to support this momentum. However, our focus now shifts to ensuring that the investments we make today lay down a strong foundation for future growth and adaptation. It’s an important journey, and we’re all in it together!
The goal can’t just be to replace outdated infrastructure. Every new system starts aging the moment it’s put into service, which is particularly relevant as our NAS becomes increasingly reliant on software, data, and digital connectivity. Physical assets may last years, but software and cybersecurity tools are on much quicker cycles. So, the design of today’s architecture is crucial.
Wherever feasible, components should be easily upgradeable or replaceable, avoiding the need for sweeping changes across the entire system. Interfaces should foster interoperability and future integration. The government should encourage competition and avoid vendor lock-in, while ensuring that safety, security, and technical reliability remain priorities. Our goal must be more than just creating a new air traffic control system, we should build a new system designed for continuous modernization from the outset.
Congress Is Leading the Way
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 has established an Airspace Modernization Office responsible for key areas like systems engineering, enterprise architecture, and the long-term evolution of the NAS. Importantly, Congress has emphasized the concept of “continuous modernization.” This principle should guide our implementation efforts from here on out.
The FAA’s planning for the future NAS should link modernization investments to operational risks, system dependencies, facilities, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and workforce needs. We can’t treat these issues as isolated because it’s a complex, interconnected system.
That planning also needs to account for the airports and airlines that operate within the NAS everyday. Modernization decisions can affect airport infrastructure, airline operations, equipment, training, and investment decisions. Brining these stakeholders into the process early can help identify operational dependencies and transition challenges before they become obstacles to deployment.
For instance, a new automation capability may rely on the readiness of telecommunications infrastructure. New equipment needs technicians ready to maintain it and air traffic controllers trained to use it. During the transition, legacy and replacement systems may need to coexist. Congress should be able to see these relationships clearly without piecing together a strategy from various plans and budgets.
That said, Congress shouldn’t micromanage the NAS. Its role is to set clear goals, provide consistent funding, and hold the FAA accountable for achieving results. When there’s a reliable funding path, both policymakers and the FAA are in a better position to assess whether schedules are feasible, risks are being mitigated, and investments are genuinely improving operations.
Measuring What Really Matters
While cost, schedule, and acquisition milestones are significant, they don’t tell the full story. A system can be delivered on time yet still fail to deliver expected benefits if other parts of the NAS aren’t ready. Conversely, a tough transition could bring substantial value if it helps retire an outdated system, lighten maintenance burdens, or pave the way for future system improvements.
The key questions are: What has changed operationally? Did modernization lower risks? Did reliability see an uptick? Was an aging system successfully retired? Did maintenance become simpler? Is the workforce equipped to operate and sustain the new capability? Can the NAS welcome new users without compromising existing operations?
The FAA and Congress should monitor a focused set of system-level metrics that answer these critical questions. This isn’t about creating another bureaucratic reporting requirement; it’s about ensuring that modernization is genuinely making the NAS safer, more resilient, easier to maintain, and adaptable to change.
People Are Part of the Equation
We can’t overlook the workforce in our modernization efforts. As technology evolves, so too will the roles of air traffic controllers, engineers, technicians, software professionals, cybersecurity experts, safety personnel, and the airline and airport professionals who interact with the NAS everyday. While smart automation can streamline repetitive tasks and enhance situational awareness, we still need people who understand how to operate, maintain, and seamlessly integrate these new systems.
Transitions can complicate workforce dynamics. There will be times when the FAA needs the expertise to keep a legacy system running while simultaneously training staff on its replacement. Every major modernization initiative should answer three fundamental questions: Who will operate this new capability? Who will maintain it? Are they prepared when it’s time to transition? Candidly, if the workforce isn’t ready, the system won’t be either.
Bridging Research and Operations
Continuous modernization requires robust ties between research and operational needs. Organizations like NASA, the FAA, industry players, academic institutions, federally funded research centers, national laboratories, and nonprofit research groups all play a role in shaping the future technologies and operating concepts for the NAS.
Research should focus on real operational challenges and intentionally, frequently involve the people who will be using and maintaining the systems as well as experts in human factors, cybersecurity, and safety from the outset. Technologies that show promise need clear paths for further testing, standardization, certification, acquisition, and operational implementation.
Not every research endeavor will lead to deployment. It’s also valuable to learn what doesn’t work before moving forward with procurement. However, the infrastructure being developed today should leave space for tomorrow’s innovative ideas. We can’t let immediate modernization and long-term research exist in isolation.
Embracing an Ongoing Journey
There’s no single magical technology or governmental program that will resolve the complexities of modernization. Congress needs to ensure continuity while demanding accountability. The FAA must navigate the NAS using an integrated, risk-based lifecycle approach. Industry should prioritize interoperability and sustainability. NASA and the wider research community must continue to develop future capabilities that are directly tied to operational needs. States also have an important role in aligning airport infrastructure, workforce development, and emerging aviation invrestments with the braoder NAS.
What unifies these efforts is a shift in thinking about modernization. The NAS is a vital piece of national infrastructure. Aircraft technology will evolve. Software will change. Cybersecurity threats will emerge. New sectors, like commercial space, uncrewed aircraft, and advanced air mobility, will introduce demands we can’t fully foresee.
The United States shouldn’t wait until another generation of infrastructure becomes hard to maintain before we act. We may not know exactly what will fill our skies in 2050, but we can ensure our system is adaptable enough to welcome those changes.
In short, the AIAA position paper makes it clear that continuous modernization should be the guiding philosophy for managing the NAS and not just the title of the next big project.
