Raytheon has been awarded a $73M Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contract modification to perform Technical Refresh 1 of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS).
This update will enable future Terminal NextGen air traffic control tools to be incorporated into STARS and further enhance the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS.)
(Learn More. FAA controllers discuss the general benefits of STARS automation system at TRACONs and towers, including how the new tools and state-of-the art technology enables them to safety and efficiently manage traffic. Courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration and YouTube)
What is Terminal Automation?
Terminal automation systems receive surveillance data and aircraft flight plan information. Controllers at radar control facilities use these systems to manage air traffic immediately around major airports, and technicians maintain these systems at facilities.
These systems enable controllers to provide several air traffic control services that are critical to the safety of the national airspace:
- Separating and sequencing of aircraft
- Conflict and terrain avoidance alerts
- Weather advisories
- Radar vectoring for departing and arriving traffic.
What is TAMR?
The FAA’s Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement program is modernizing the air traffic control systems at TRACON facilities and control towers at the nation’s major airports.
TAMR will combine and upgrade air traffic control technologies to the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS).
What is STARS?
STARS is a single, state-of-the-art platform that will be installed at TRACONS and control towers.
It will:
- Maintain safety while increasing cost-effectiveness at terminal facilities across the NAS
- Provide advanced functionalities for controllers, such as state-of-the-art flat-panel LED display and the ability to save controller workstation preferences
- Offer an easier-to-maintain infrastructure for technicians
TAMR and NextGen
TAMR will ensure that NextGen technologies can operate in the NAS.
Similar to En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) at air route traffic control centers, TAMR allows TRACON facilities to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data.
The NextGen air traffic control tools under consideration are:
- Analytics for improved terminal area weather
- Performance-based navigation for more precise flight paths
- Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) services for improved situational awareness
“This upgrade will enable the FAA to develop and implement future air traffic management technologies and increase system capacity and reliability,” said Bob Delorge, vice president, Transportation and Support Services, Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services.
“These improvements will be especially important in the busy, high-priority Northeast Corridor.”
STARS is the automated air traffic control system operated by both the FAA and Department of Defense (DOD) to manage airspace in both large, complex terminal areas, such as New York, and in small, but security-sensitive airspace.
STARS simplifies the implementation of NextGen enhancements that will improve air traffic flow and separation in the NAS.
(Learn More as FAA controllers discuss the ease of the process involved in the transition to STARS at TRACONs and towers. Courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration and YouTube)
