AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Evoluton and Status of FAA's Automation Program.
Abstract
We are pleased to be here today to discuss the air traffic control (ATC) automation program of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Automation and other functional areas such as communications, navigation, and surveillance are the main elements of FAA'S overall plan for modernizing the air traffic control system. The automation program, which began in the early 1980s, involves FAA'S acquisition of modern workstations and computers that process radar and flight data for controllers' use. Because of severe cost, schedule, and technical problems, FAA restructured the automation program in 1994. The Advanced Automation System (AAs) project, divided into 5 separate segments, was the centerpiece of the program before its 1994 restructuring. In 1983, FAA estimated the cost to develop AAS to be $2.5 billion and completion was scheduled for 1996. When International Business Machines (IBM) was awarded a development contract in 1988, after a 4-year design competition, FAA estimated the project would cost $4.8 billion and be completed in 1998. By 1994, when FAA restructured the automation program, FAA estimated the cost to develop AAS to be as much as $7.6 billion with completion as late as 2003.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 05, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA339008
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office