Miles Jamison 
- L3Harris has booked an FAA contract to modernize and operate the U.S. aircraft tracking network
- The company will upgrade more than 700 ground stations supporting nationwide air traffic surveillance
- The upgrades will strengthen cybersecurity and enhance tracking of emerging aircraft operating in U.S. airspace
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded L3Harris Technologies a contract to modernize and operate the U.S. aircraft tracking network until 2045, the defense technology company announced Wednesday.
What Does the FAA Contract Cover?
Under the contract, L3Harris will enhance over 700 ground stations that support nationwide air traffic surveillance by delivering live satellite-based flight positioning data to controllers. The company said the modernization effort is also intended to strengthen cybersecurity protections for airspace information and bolster the system’s ability to monitor new entrants operating in the National Airspace System.
The upgraded network will provide air traffic controllers with the capabilities needed to safely manage evolving airspace demands well into the future.
How Does the Effort Support FAA Operations?
The contract extends L3Harris’ longstanding support for the FAA’s surveillance infrastructure. For nearly 20 years, the company has managed a nationwide air traffic surveillance network that consolidates data from thousands of sources and continuously distributes it to hundreds of FAA and other government facilities through a round-the-clock operations center.
The award represents another step in the FAA’s broader modernization initiative. Last month, the agency selected Air Space Intelligence to deliver AI-enabled air traffic management software to address delays and issues with traffic flow and airspace capacity. L3Harris has also been advancing the modernization of the FAA’s telecommunications infrastructure that supports the National Airspace System.
