FAA deploys new radar system at Newark Liberty International Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has deployed a new Surface Movement Radar Model 4 at Newark Liberty International Airport to enhance runway safety. The new system replaces a 30-year-old radar that had become difficult to maintain due to a lack of available replacement parts.

The SMR-4 radar provides air traffic controllers with high-precision visibility of aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways, even during nighttime operations or in poor weather and low-visibility conditions. This technology is intended to prevent runway incursions and accidental collisions.

This deployment is part of a broader $12.5 billion national air traffic control modernization plan. The FAA intends to deploy 53 of these radars across 44 of the busiest airports in the United States. Officials noted that the radar system was manufactured in Syracuse, New York, as part of an effort to onshore the production of critical infrastructure.