Air traffic displays modernized

The installation of displays and supporting computer systems to modernize

the nation's air traffic control system was completed Friday at the Washington

Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Va.

The Display System Replacement program has outfitted 20 air traffic control

centers nationwide with new computers and displays that can be easily upgraded

to deal with the strong growth in air traffic. Contractor Lockheed Martin

Corp. completed the DSR installation on time and within the $1.05 billion

budget, said Jane Garvey, Federal Aviation Administration administrator,

during a dedication ceremony at the center.

The DSR program is the first major component of the modernization of the

en route air traffic control system infrastructure. The program provides

an open architecture that can accommodate software upgrades and new technologies

that make up the evolving air traffic control system. Software upgrades

include weather display enhancements to improve safety and technology tools

to better manage increased air traffic, according to the FAA. It replaces

20- to 30-year-old monochrome radar screens with color displays, Microsoft

Corp. Windows systems for controllers and modern data processing technology.

Nationwide, the integrated DSR system controls about 123,300 aircraft per

day, or 45 million aircraft per year, according to a Lockheed Martin statement.

The first DSR system was installed in Seattle in December 1998. The system

works with information from the new host computer system, which replaced

older, less capable hardware with better processing systems.