RTX Seeks Larger Role in FAA’s $12.5B ATC Overhaul

Company will reportedly pitch its common automation platform to consolidate existing ATC systems.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, March 04, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

RTX is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the FAA’s Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) platform. [Credit: RTX]

Key Takeaways:

RTX's Collins Aerospace is vying for a significant Common Automation Platform (CAP) contract within the FAA's $12.5 billion Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) modernization effort.
The proposed CAP aims to unify the FAA's fragmented En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) and Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) into a single, modular digital interface, reducing controller workload and improving airspace awareness.
RTX is pitching its AutoTrac platform, which integrates various flight data, automates operations, provides real-time conflict detection, and is designed to be scalable for future air traffic demands like drone and air taxi services.

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RTX, which in January received a $438 million contract to help the FAA replace hundreds of antiquated radar systems, is reportedly vying for an even larger chunk of the $12.5 billion Congress has allocated for the agency’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) effort.

On Tuesday at RTX facilities in Washington, Collins Aerospace officials demonstrated a system designed to unify fragmented ATC data sources, which the company, per FlightGlobal, will pitch to the FAA as the BNATCS common automation platform (CAP).