Wednesday, activity FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told The Committee on House of Properties that the Federal Aviation Administration plans to replace its aging Air traffic control systemswhich still depends on floppy disks and Windows 95 computers, Tom’s hardware Reports. The agency published a request for information to collect proposals from companies wanting to address the massive infrastructure magazine.
“The whole idea is to replace the system. No longer floppy drives or paper stripes,” Rocheleau said during the committee hearing. US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy called the project “the most important infrastructure project we have had in this country for decades,” describing it as a bipartisan priority.
Most air traffic control towers and facilities across the United States currently work with technology that seems frozen in the 20th century, although that is not necessarily a bad thing – when it works. Some controllers are currently using Paper stripes To track aircraft movements and transfer data between systems using floppy disks, while their computers work Microsoft Windows 95 An operating system that launched in 1995.
As Tom’s hardware notices, modernization of the system is widely popular. Sheldon Jacobson, Professor of University of Illinois who studied risks in Aviationsays the system Works remarkably well As is that an update is still critical, according to NPR. The Aviation Industry Coalition Modern Skies Push ATC Modernigo and recently released an advertisement highlighting the obsolete technology.
While the Vintage systems may have unintentionally protected air traffic control from widespread interruptions such as the Crowdstrike native That interrupted modern computer systems worldwide in 2024, Agency officials say 51 of FAA’s 138 systems are insoluble due to outdated functionality and lack of replacements.
The FAA is not alone in attaching a disk drive technology. San -Francisco train system Still running on DOS Loaded by 5.25-inch floppy disks, with updates not expected until 2030 due to budget restrictions. Japan also has struggled in recent years Modernize government record systems that use floppy disks.
If it doesn’t break?
Modernizing the air traffic control system features engineering challenges that extend far more than simply installing newer computers. Unlike typical IT updates, ATC systems must maintain a continuous 24/7 operation, as close facilities for maintenance could compromise aviation security.
This so far demand removes the possibility of traditional system replacement approaches, where old hardware is exchanged for a planned malfunctioning time. The replacement systems must also meet security requirements to resist cyber attacks. A successful breakdown of air traffic infrastructure could paralyze national aircraft networks, resulting in cascading effects that affect transportation, trade and emergency services.
And yet not all are convinced that the planned mass review will reach the desired effects. In an an NPR report On the matter, aviation industrial analyst Robert W. Mann Jr. expressed skepticism about whether new systems would actually be realized.
“This has been the same mantra for the past 30 years. Give them more money. They will build the new system. It will work better, work harder,” Mann told NPR. “And we do that more than 30 years ago, and we have the same results.”
