Air traffic control systems in the US rely on aging tech, $8 billion needed for upgrades

Some systems won't get a tech upgrade for another 10 to 13 years

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Why it matters: It is scary to contemplate that all that keeps a plane from crashing can come down to an air traffic controller's sharp-eyed vigilance. It is even scarier to think that this person does not have the necessary tech to do their job properly. But that is the current state of affairs in the US, according to a GAO report. The Federal Aviation Administration is aware of the problem and says it needs $8 billion to fix it.

The Government Accountability Office has produced a report that should make any air traveler nervous, finding that the Federal Aviation Administration's progress on updating its aging air traffic control (ATC) systems is woefully lagging with limited oversight.

The FAA knows very well that its systems need a tech refresh. Last year, after a shutdown of the national airspace due to a system outage caused by the accidental deletion of critical files, it conducted an operational risk assessment to evaluate the ATC systems' sustainability. The FAA found 37% of its systems were unsustainable and 39% were potentially unsustainable. The reasons ranged from lack of parts to shortfalls in funding.

The GAO said over half of these unsustainable systems were "especially concerning." Of the 105 unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems, 58 are critical to the safety and efficiency of the national airspace.

Despite this alarming state of affairs, the GAO reports, the FAA has been slow to modernize the most critical and at-risk systems. Some system modernization projects are scheduled to be complete 10 to 13 years from now. Worse, the FAA doesn't have plans to modernize other systems in need, three of which are at least 30 years old.

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"In addition, FAA does not have ongoing investments associated with four of these critical systems and thus it is unknown when the associated systems will be modernized," the GAO said.

The GAO noted that the results of the 2023 operational risk assessment were intended to prioritize investment decisions, but this didn't happen, and until the FAA reports to Congress, the nation will be flying blind as to how the FAA is mitigating the risks of these systems.

The GAO also pointed out some significant gaps in accountability and oversight as the FAA moves forward with its investments. For instance, many of the 20 investments that are being made are supposed to establish a cost, schedule, and performance baseline, but the FAA has been slow to do this.

Specifically, the 11 applicable investments took an average of 4 years and 7 months to establish their baselines. Additionally, one investment took 6 years and 8 months, and, as of May 2024, two others that were initiated over 6 years ago had not established their baselines.

Also, the FAA's acquisition oversight council has failed to ensure that investments were delivering "functionality in manageable segments," the GAO said. Perhaps even worse, while the council held quarterly reviews for investments, it did not consistently monitor high risks.

For three selected investments, the GAO found that the council reviewed some, but not all, required documentation prior to approving investments to proceed to the next lifecycle phase. The GAO also noted that FAA oversight officials did not annually approve the business cases for the three investments before submitting them to the Office of Management and Budget and the federal IT investment transparency website.

The GAO has several recommendations to address these shortfalls that focus on reducing baseline time, increasing oversight, and keeping Congress fully informed of how the FAA is mitigating risks to ATC systems. The FAA agrees with almost all of these recommendations.

Kevin Walsh, the GAO's director of IT and cybersecurity and an author of the report, told The Register that he thinks the recommendations are reasonable and "achievable with some good faith effort" on the FAA's part.

The FAA "also indicated plans to address some of the recommendations," Walsh added. "We [see] the agreement and early plans as good signs."

The FAA also indicated it agreed with the findings. In a statement provided to The Register it said it needed $8 billion to modernize its systems.