Advanced radar, integrated aviation technology, and smarter data systems could reshape how the national airspace manages aircraft, drones, and future air mobility.

Washington, D.C., 5 March 2026 – RTX is positioning itself at the center of a major upgrade to the United States air traffic control system. The aerospace and defense company is proposing a fully integrated set of air traffic management technologies designed to modernize how aircraft are monitored and guided across the country.

The effort comes as the U.S. government prepares to overhaul the national airspace system, supported by a $12.5 billion funding allocation aimed at upgrading aging infrastructure and improving efficiency in air traffic operations.

RTX believes it can play a major role in this transformation. Through its Collins Aerospace division, the company already provides technology used to manage roughly two-thirds of the world’s airspace, according to company estimates. Recently, RTX secured a $438 million contract to replace hundreds of radar systems in the United States, marking one of the first major steps in the modernization plan.

The company’s approach focuses on integrating multiple technologies into one unified system. Instead of using separate platforms for different stages of flight operations, RTX proposes a single platform that connects sensing systems, avionics intelligence, and air traffic control data.

This integrated design would allow air traffic controllers to access clearer information while filtering unnecessary data that can slow down decision-making. By improving how information is organized and displayed, controllers could manage aircraft traffic more efficiently and safely.

Another important goal of the system is scalability. Aviation experts expect future skies to include far more than traditional commercial aircraft. Emerging technologies such as delivery drones, autonomous aircraft, and electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles are expected to play a role in urban air mobility. RTX says its technology platform is designed to handle these growing demands.

The Federal Aviation Administration has identified integration as one of the biggest challenges facing the current air traffic control infrastructure. Many existing systems were built for specific tasks and developed at different times, making them difficult to connect seamlessly.

Systems like Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures, En Route Automation Modernization, and the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System currently manage different aspects of air traffic monitoring. While each system performs well individually, experts say the lack of coordination between them can limit efficiency.

To address this issue, the FAA is exploring the development of a common automation platform that would combine these systems into one advanced air traffic management network.

RTX recently demonstrated how its technology could support this concept. At a demonstration facility in Washington, the company showed a multi-screen control interface that integrates data from different air traffic operations, including oceanic routes, en-route flight monitoring, and airport approach management.

In this model, a controller’s workstation becomes a window into the entire airspace system rather than focusing on only one segment of flight operations. This type of unified interface could allow controllers to respond faster to traffic changes and improve overall situational awareness.

The FAA has also appointed technology company Peraton to serve as the prime integrator overseeing the modernization program. Alongside RTX, international aviation technology firm Indra has also been selected to help replace radar systems as part of the upgrade.

Radar modernization will include both primary and secondary radar systems. Primary radars track aircraft using radio signal reflections, while secondary radars rely on signals transmitted directly from aircraft to provide more precise identification and location information.

While many details of the modernization program are still being finalized, aviation officials have set an ambitious goal of completing major upgrades within the next few years. Achieving this will require a faster approach to innovation than traditional aviation development cycles, which often span decades.

Industry leaders believe the future of air traffic management will depend on flexible, connected technologies capable of adapting to rapid changes in aviation. As new aircraft types, urban air mobility systems, and autonomous aviation platforms enter the market, modernized airspace infrastructure will become increasingly important.

For companies like RTX, the modernization of air traffic control represents not only a technological challenge but also a major opportunity to shape the next generation of aviation systems.