The FAA launched a new public website called Modern Skies on May 22, 2026, giving pilots and taxpayers an interactive tracker for more than 10,000 air traffic control modernization projects across the United States. The site — live at modernskies.faa.gov — is the public-facing dashboard for a $12.5 billion ATC infrastructure overhaul that the FAA plans to complete by 2028.
It’s the first time the agency has offered this level of real-time visibility into how it’s spending ATC modernization money. And there’s a reason they’re doing it now.
Why Did the FAA Build This Website?
Transparency. Or more precisely, the lack of it in the past.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy was blunt about it at the launch. The previous ATC modernization program — NextGen — delivered just 16 percent of its promised benefits while costing taxpayers $36 billion, according to a federal watchdog report published in October 2025.
“One of the reasons past air traffic control modernization efforts failed was a lack of transparency,” Duffy said.
The Modern Skies website is designed to prevent a repeat. By making project status, location, and progress data available to anyone with a web browser, the FAA is betting that public accountability will keep the current effort on track in ways that NextGen never was.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford framed it as a responsibility. “The American people deserve a clear view of how these investments are being executed and the progress being made to modernize our skies,” he said.
What Does the Website Actually Show?
The Modern Skies site has three main features as of its May 2026 launch:
An interactive map. Users can explore project locations by state and type of work. The map shows which FAA sites are being upgraded, what kind of equipment is being replaced, and whether the work is planned, in progress, or completed. You can search by location to see what’s happening at airports and ATC facilities near you.
Project summaries. Each major project category — radar, radios, voice switches, surveillance systems, telecommunications — has a summary explaining what’s being replaced, why, and how it will improve safety and efficiency.
A monthly progress tracker. This is the accountability mechanism. The FAA will update the tracker every month with overall completion data, giving the public a running picture of how much of the $12.5 billion program has been delivered.
What Is Actually Being Replaced?
The scope of the modernization is enormous. The FAA is replacing core ATC infrastructure at more than 4,600 sites using $12.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill. By the end of 2028, the program is expected to deliver:
- 5,170 high-speed network connections replacing aging copper telecommunications lines with fiber optic cable and wireless systems
- 27,000 new radios across 1,581 sites
- 450 digital voice switches
- 612 radar system replacements
- 89 control towers equipped with electronic flight strips
- 435 towers with new Enterprise Information Display Systems (EIDS)
The work involves 52 vendors and touches virtually every component of the National Airspace System’s ground infrastructure. Airlines for America president Chris Sununu described the current system as being held together by “shoestring and duct tape” at the Modern Skies Summit in April 2026.
What Is the Modern Skies Summit?
The website launch followed the Modern Skies Summit, a high-profile event held in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2026, where Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford presented progress on the Brand New ATC System (BNATCS) program.
At the summit, the FAA outlined three pillars of airspace modernization. The first is BNATCS — the physical infrastructure replacement covering radars, radios, wiring, and surveillance equipment. The second is SMART (System-Wide Modernization for Air Traffic Resource Technology), an AI-powered predictive system being developed with vendor Thales to help controllers manage traffic flow, reduce delays, and optimize staffing. The third is workforce expansion, addressed in the FAA’s 2026 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan released on May 15.
The Eno Center for Transportation, which attended the summit, noted that while the infrastructure progress was encouraging, several questions remained unanswered — including how the FAA plans to close a funding gap, ensure proper testing before deployment, and handle ADS-B In integration.
How Does This Affect the Controller Workforce?
The technology upgrades are happening alongside a parallel push to hire and train more controllers.
The FAA’s 2026 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, released May 15, sets a full staffing target of 12,563 Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs). That’s a decrease from the agency’s previous 2024 forecast of 14,633 CPCs — a revision the FAA attributes to modernization efficiencies that will allow fewer controllers to manage the same airspace more effectively.
Hiring targets are set at 2,200 new controllers in 2026, 2,300 in 2027, and 2,400 in 2028. The FAA and DOT also launched a separate recruitment campaign aimed at attracting the next generation of air traffic controllers.
What Does This Mean for Pilots?
For GA and airline pilots, the practical implications of ATC modernization will unfold gradually over the next two years. Here’s what to watch for:
Better radar coverage. The 612 radar replacements will improve surveillance accuracy and reduce dead spots, particularly in areas with aging equipment. For pilots flying in remote or mountainous terrain, this is meaningful.
More reliable communications. The shift from copper to fiber optic and wireless telecommunications should reduce the kind of communication outages that have made headlines — including the January 2023 NOTAM system failure and the Newark radar/communications outage cited by Secretary Duffy at the summit.
Electronic flight strips. The transition from paper flight strips to electronic systems at 89 towers will improve controller efficiency and reduce the risk of lost or misread clearances.
Potential airspace procedure changes. As the FAA deploys SMART and other automation tools, expect incremental changes to how traffic is sequenced, how delays are managed, and how clearances are delivered. These changes will be gradual, but pilots should stay current with NOTAMs and procedural updates at their home airports and frequent destinations.
The Modern Skies website itself is worth bookmarking. If you fly regularly out of a specific airport, you can check whether ATC upgrades are planned or underway at your facility — and what to expect during the transition.
Visit the site: modernskies.faa.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FAA Modern Skies website? Modern Skies is a public website launched by the FAA on May 22, 2026, at modernskies.faa.gov. It tracks more than 10,000 air traffic control modernization projects across the United States, funded by $12.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill. The site includes an interactive map, project summaries, and a monthly progress tracker.
How much is the FAA spending on ATC modernization? As of May 2026, the FAA’s ATC modernization program is funded at $12.5 billion. The work covers more than 4,600 FAA sites and includes replacements of radars, radios, voice switches, telecommunications infrastructure, and tower display systems. The FAA plans to complete the work by the end of 2028.
Why did the FAA launch this website? The FAA launched Modern Skies to increase public transparency after the failure of the previous NextGen modernization program, which a federal watchdog found delivered only 16 percent of its promised benefits despite costing $36 billion. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited a lack of transparency as a key reason previous efforts failed.
How many air traffic controllers is the FAA hiring? The FAA’s 2026 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan targets 2,200 new controller hires in 2026, 2,300 in 2027, and 2,400 in 2028, with a full staffing goal of 12,563 Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs).
How does ATC modernization affect general aviation pilots? GA pilots can expect improved radar coverage, more reliable ATC communications, and electronic flight strip adoption at 89 towers. The transition from copper to fiber optic telecommunications should reduce the kind of system-wide outages that have disrupted operations in recent years. Pilots can check modernskies.faa.gov to see what upgrades are planned at their local airports.
