uAvionix and partner complete the installation of 55 more Surface Awareness Systems for the FAA, bringing the total to 69 ATC Towers

uAvionix Corporation, together with its small business partner Capital Sciences, LLC, today announced that all 55 airports awarded under the 4th deployment Block of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) are now fully installed, bringing the total number of FAA air traffic control towers running the uAvionix FlightLine SAI system to 69. The milestone completes the rollout announced in November 2025, when the FAA selected uAvionix to install, test, and commission 55 additional towers within 12 months. uAvionix and Capital Sciences deliver FlightLine SAI to the FAA as a turnkey service, covering installation, training, sustainment, and upgrades. 

The achievement follows the FAA’s recent announcement that it has deployed its 100th SAI system, bringing the technology to roughly 45 percent of the 220 airports targeted for the program.

FlightLine SAI gives controllers a real-time, precise depiction of every ADS-B-equipped aircraft and vehicle on and near the airport surface, displayed over a detailed airport map of runways, taxiways and movement areas. The system is built on the uAvionix FlightLine network of dual-frequency ADS-B receivers and cloud-based processing, delivering redundant coverage with low latency. The added awareness is especially valuable at night and in low-visibility conditions, when controllers cannot rely on what they see out the tower window.

Vehicles are a critical part of the surface picture. In parallel with each tower installation, uAvionix equips FAA Technical Operations vehicles with its VTU-20 Vehicle Movement Area Transmitter (VMAT), so controllers see ground vehicles in the movement area alongside aircraft. Earlier this year, the FAA announced it will equip its vehicles with uAvionix VTU-20 ADS-B systems, a $16.5 million procurement covering approximately 2,000 FAA vehicles at more than 250 airports with surface surveillance, including SAI, ASDE-X, and ASSC sites. Additionally, FAA released its first tranche of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for 61 airports to equip their operations and emergency vehicles with over 3000 VMATS.

A key part of BNATCS

Surface awareness is a core element of the Administration’s plan to build a Brand-New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS), the national effort to replace aging infrastructure and bring modern surveillance, communications, and automation to every part of the National Airspace System. Progress on the program is tracked publicly on the FAA’s Modern Skies site. With 6 uAvionix SAI towers now live, uAvionix has delivered one of the largest and fastest deployments of new surveillance capability in the program to date. 

“Installing all 55 Block 5 airports on schedule shows what is possible when the FAA and industry move together with urgency,” said Kimberly Stahl, VP Programs, uAvionix. “Sixty-nine towers now have a clear, real-time picture of their airfields that they did not have before. BNATCS is about delivering real safety improvements to controllers quickly and at scale, and we are proud that FlightLine is helping make that happen.” 

From the surface to the airspace around contract towers

The same FlightLine architecture powers the uAvionix Airborne Position Reference Tool (APRT), which received FAA System Design Approval in 2025 as the first modern situational awareness display approved for Federal and Non-Federal Contract Towers, as well as the recently released “Surface Ops” application, a real-time safety alerting application for airside vehicle operators at airports. Leveraging the deployed SAI sensors, Surface Ops extends the benefits to airport operations, airport firefighting, and seasonal vehicles on and near runways without the need for any additional hardware. All 69 SAI airports and 10 APRT deployments can now extend the picture from the tower to all vehicles using the airfield

uAvionix and Capital Sciences will continue to work closely with the FAA as the Surface Awareness Initiative expands toward its goal of equipping all FAA-operated towers without existing surface surveillance. 

Learn more

• FlightLine Surface Awareness (SAI)
• FlightLine Airborne Position Reference Tool (APRT)
• VTU-20 Vehicle ADS-B Transmitter
• FAA Surface Safety Portfolio / Surface Awareness Initiative
• FAA Modern Skies 

For more information or to inquire about deployments, contact airports@uavionix.com.