Air Traffic Control in the US Still Runs on Windows 95 and Floppy Disks

On Wednesday, acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told nan House Appropriations Committee that nan Federal Aviation Administration plans to switch its aging air postulation power systems, which still trust connected floppy disks and Windows 95 computers, Tom's Hardware reports. The agency has issued a Request for Information to stitchery proposals from companies consenting to tackle nan monolithic infrastructure overhaul.

“The full thought is to switch nan system. No much floppy disks aliases insubstantial strips,” Rocheleau said during nan committee hearing. US proscription caput Sean Duffy called nan task “the astir important infrastructure task that we've had successful this state for decades,” describing it arsenic a bipartisan priority.

Most aerial postulation power towers and accommodation crossed nan US presently run pinch exertion that seems stiff successful nan 20th century, though that isn't needfully a bad thing—when it works. Some controllers presently use paper strips to way craft movements and transportation information betwixt systems utilizing floppy disks, while their computers tally Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system, which launched successful 1995.

As Tom's Hardware notes, modernization of nan strategy is broadly popular. Sheldon Jacobson, a University of Illinois professor who has studied risks successful aviation, says that nan strategy works remarkably well arsenic is but that an upgrade is still critical, according to NPR. The aviation manufacture conjugation Modern Skies has been pushing for ATC modernization and precocious released an advertisement highlighting nan outdated technology.

While nan vintage systems whitethorn person inadvertently protected aerial postulation power from wide outages for illustration nan CrowdStrike incident that disrupted modern machine systems globally successful 2024, agency officials say 51 of nan FAA's 138 systems are unsustainable owed to outdated functionality and a deficiency of spare parts.

The FAA isn't unsocial successful clinging to floppy disk technology. San Francisco's train power strategy still runs connected DOS loaded from 5.25-inch floppy disks, pinch upgrades not expected until 2030 owed to fund constraints. Japan has besides struggled successful caller years to modernize authorities grounds systems that usage floppy disks.

If It Ain’t Broke?

Modernizing nan aerial postulation power strategy presents engineering challenges that widen acold beyond simply installing newer computers. Unlike emblematic IT upgrades, ATC systems must support continuous 24/7 operation, because shutting down accommodation for attraction could discuss aviation safety.

This uptime request eliminates nan anticipation of accepted strategy replacement approaches wherever aged hardware gets swapped retired during scheduled downtime. The replacement systems must besides meet information requirements to defy cyberattacks. A successful breach of aerial postulation power infrastructure could paralyze nationalist aviation networks, resulting successful cascading effects that effect transportation, commerce, and emergency services.

And yet not everyone is convinced nan planned monolithic overhaul will execute nan desired effects. In an NPR report connected nan issue, aviation manufacture expert Robert W. Mann Jr. expressed skepticism astir whether caller systems will really materialize.

“This has been nan aforesaid mantra for nan past 30 years. Give them much money. They'll build nan caller system. It'll activity better, activity harder,” Mann told NPR. “And we've been doing that for good complete 30 years now, and we've gotten nan aforesaid results.”