Newark Airport Gets New Radar to Cut Runway Risks

Newark Liberty International Airport is now using a new radar system meant to help prevent runway incidents, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday. The upgrade is part of a broader push to give air traffic controllers better tools to monitor busy ground operations and reduce the chance of runway incursions.

The system is called the Surface Movement Radar Model 4, or SMR-4. It lets controllers track aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways in all weather and visibility conditions, including situations where tower crews cannot clearly see the tarmac. Officials said the new radar is a clear step up from the 30-year-old equipment it replaces, and that it can help prevent accidental collisions on the ground.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the Newark installation is the fifth surface movement radar deployed in the United States. He said the agency plans to install 53 of these systems at its 44 busiest airports nationwide. Bedford also said the radar was built in Syracuse, New York, and tied the project to the FAA’s modernization effort and the onshoring of critical infrastructure work.

Bedford described the older equipment as obsolete and difficult to maintain. He said the unit is 30 years old, that replacement parts are no longer available, and that when it fails, it cannot simply be repaired the way modern systems can. In his view, the investment is about more than swapping out old hardware; it is about restoring domestic production and strengthening the nation’s aviation system.