FAA History Lesson -- September 16

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

” Sep 16, 1996: FAA announced the award of a contract to build the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) to a team led by Raytheon (see Dec 13, 1993). Under the contract, the team would develop and install new computers, displays and software for terminal radar approach control facilities (TRACONs). This joint procurement involved new equipment for up to 172 FAA and 199 DOD facilities. On Sep 17, FAA announced that the Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON was now operating an updated Automated Radar Terminal System IIIE (ARTS IIIE), the first of several new ARTS IIIEs that would provide improvements pending STARS implementation. ”


From the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s web site AvoidDelays.com:

” FAA's mismanagement of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) has put the future of Terminal Automation in jeopardy - The STARS program provides a much-needed digital air traffic control system for managing terminal area airspace. But the FAA's deployment continues to be hampered by numerous technological and software problems, resulting in high cost overruns and delays. As a result, the program has been drastically curtailed, with the FAA chopping its budget. Currently, the largest facility to which STARS has been deployed is Philadelphia and it continues to deal with operational problems and failures. STARS has experienced a 7 year delay in deployment and has been reduced from 172 facilities to 47 facilities. In addition, the ASR-11 program (a new digitized radar system that was supposed to be deployed in conjunction with STARS) has been delayed 8 years and was reduced by more than $46 million for FY 2004-05. “


Don Brown
September 16, 2007