FAA ready to scrap outdated air traffic control system with 3-year plan

We should be using fiber, but it's copper. We use radar from the 1970s. Some of them are from the 80s, but most of them are from the 70s

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new plan Thursday to modernize the nation's air traffic control system

It's a three-year effort led by the FAA to fix outdated technology that officials say contributed to deadly plane crashes

This technology is 50 years old that our controllers use to scan the skies and keep airplanes separated from one another

Just last week in New Jersey, controllers went completely dark, losing all contact with pilots after a failure in old copper wiring knocked out radar feeds between New York and Philly

The plan will replace outdated copper lines with fiber, satellite and wireless technology at more than 4,600 sites nationwide

Duffy says pilots will notice a real difference thanks to six new air traffic control centers included in the plan

The FAA will also replace hundreds of radar systems and roll out new technology at airports designed to help prevent collisions on the ground and in the air

Duffy says to get it done, he needs the money now. One of the problems of the past is when you give small tranches of money year over year, politics change, leadership changes, presidents change, interest changes, and it never gets built

So I'm going to ask the Congress for upfront appropriations to give us all the money

Another recent incident highlighted the risks if the upgrades are delayed. 67 people were killed over Washington, D.C. in January when a military helicopter and a commercial plane collided midair

Duffy and the aviation agency have said the system currently in place cannot handle the 45,000 flights happening each day

Duffy didn't reveal the cost of the plan, but separately, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

estimated it could cost more than $12 billion to replace a current air traffic control system

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey. Find the latest unbiased fact-based news right now on the Straight Arrow News mobile app or on san.com