The FAA is accelerating the replacement of ageing airport surface radar systems, with 53 new Surface Movement Radar systems planned across 44 of the busiest U.S. airports by the end of 2028. The technology will give air traffic controllers a clearer real-time picture of aircraft and vehicles moving across runways, taxiways and other airport surfaces, particularly during darkness and periods of reduced visibility. Newark Liberty International recently became the fifth airport to receive the new SMR-4 technology, replacing equipment that had been operating for around 30 years.

For business aviation crews, improved surface surveillance is particularly important at large and complex airports where multiple runways, busy taxiways and high traffic volumes can increase the risk of runway incursions. The new systems form part of a much broader FAA modernisation programme that will replace ageing radar, communications and telecommunications infrastructure throughout the National Airspace System. Plans include thousands of new radios and high-speed fibre, wireless and satellite connections, alongside hundreds of upgraded surveillance systems.

The FAA is also expanding surface awareness technology to hundreds of additional airports, giving controllers improved visibility even at locations without traditional surface movement radar.

For business aviation, the investment represents more than new equipment. Better ground surveillance can improve situational awareness, reduce runway-incursion risk and provide crews with another layer of protection during some of the highest-workload phases of flight.

As U.S. air traffic continues to grow, modernising what happens on the ground is becoming just as important as upgrading the systems controlling aircraft in the air.

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