Raytheon Company has completed the modernization of the United States’ busiest terminal air traffic control facility six months ahead of schedule. Under the Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement program, known as TAMR, Raytheon replaced the software and hardware and more than 100 automation systems with the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System to support the increased demand for air traffic control services in the New York area.
STARS enables Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON facilities to provide safe and efficient aircraft spacing and sequencing guidance for departing and arriving aircraft in the airport terminal area. The Raytheon-developed system replaces several generations of existing terminal automation systems, providing lifecycle cost savings to the FAA. The system also brings additional safety and capacity management to terminal automation and is a cornerstone of NextGen, the FAA’s airspace modernization initiative.
“We designed and delivered a system that could seamlessly transition the largest U.S. airports to STARS without a single interruption to the National Airspace System,” said Dave Wajsgras, president, Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “In some cases, transitions were achieved in weeks instead of months with the final New York site being completed six months ahead of schedule.”
As part of TAMR, Raytheon modernized the FAA’s 11 largest TRACON facilities, which control 80 percent of U.S. air traffic. New York was the final TRACON to achieve Operational Readiness Decision this month.
The primary responsibility of the New York TRACON is the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of arrivals and departures for the four major airports – JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro – and dozens of smaller air fields. On an average day, there are 6,000 to 7,000 operations between the New York TRACON and approximately 21 other facilities on the East Coast.
