[Scan-DC] Are ATC comms going digital?

[Andrew Clegg]

The FAA says they’re replacing 27,625 radios as part of the transition. That doesn’t sound like phone circuits and fiber connections. I wonder what radios they’re referring to.

Andy

> On Dec 9, 2025, at 11:51 AM, Eric C. Carlson <ecarlson at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> That seems to be dealing with backhaul, such as converting from analog
> phone circuits to digital fiber connections for example. I doubt
> VHF-AM voice is going anywhere soon. There is the ICAO LDACS
> initiative if you're curious about future air-ground digital comms
> beyond what is already done today (CPDLC, ADS-C, ACARS/VDL, etc.).
>
> -Eric
>
>> On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 6:31 PM Andrew Clegg <andrew_w_clegg at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Peraton was recently announced as the prime integrator for the FAA's "Brand New Air Traffic Control System" (BNATCS) funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. One of the many tasks is converting analog radios to digital, according to the Request for Solutions issued this past August. I can't immediately find a lot of specifics, but general AI inquiries indicate that ATC communications will be transitioning to digital in the coming few years, and a DoT fact sheet quotes 27,625 new radios will be installed by the end of 2028. Is ATC going digital? Will some or all of it be encrypted? How are we coordinating with the rest of the world? Or am I misunderstanding what's going on?
>>
>> https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d000f013f40944acb523460a474e4270/view
>> https://www.faa.gov/FlightCommand
>> https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-12/Brand%20News%20Air%20Traffic%20Control%20System%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
>> https://avweb.com/aviation-news/dot-names-prime-integrator-new-atc-system/
>>
>>
>> 73,
>> W4JE
>>
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