FAA Awards $5B Contract for Hundreds of Digital Voice Switches

Agency plans to install 462 new systems as part of its air traffic control modernization effort.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 01:57 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The FAA picked Rohde & Schwarz USA to install up to 462 new digital voice switches at air traffic control facilities nationwide. [Credit: Rohde & Schwarz USA]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has awarded a nearly $5 billion contract to Rohde & Schwarz USA to replace hundreds of outdated analog air traffic control (ATC) voice switchboards with modern digital, VoIP-enabled systems.
This initiative is a core component of the FAA's broader $12.5 billion "Brand New ATC System" (BNATCS) modernization plan, which aims to replace 1960s-era technology across the U.S. National Airspace System.
The comprehensive modernization effort extends beyond voice switches to include upgrades for radars, radios, fiber-optic wiring, electronic flight strips, and future AI-powered predictive software, enhancing safety, efficiency, and introducing new operational capabilities.

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The FAA has selected a vendor to replace hundreds of analog air traffic control (ATC) communications switchboards with digital voice switches as it continues to modernize the nation’s ATC system.

Rohde & Schwarz USA, the American subsidiary of the German electronics manufacturer, said April 21 that it won a contract worth almost $5 billion to replace up to 462 antiquated voice switches—many of them decades old—with modern systems designed to allow controllers to more quickly and easily toggle between radio channels.