FAA Issues Radio Altimeter Upgrade Mandate
By Sean Broderick
The FAA’s radio altimeter (RA) upgrade mandate sets Dec. 30, 2030, as the deadline for commercial aircraft and will give other affected operations, including Part 135, until Oct. 31, 2034.
The final rule, made public July 24, follows the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) July 22 adoption of a new round of wireless spectrum auction. The FAA mandate aligns with FCC plans to permit new wireless services in the 75 largest U.S. markets by the end of 2030, and other markets in mid-2031.
Aircraft under Part 121 and some Part 129 operations must meet the initial deadline. Other affected aircraft, including military fleets, get until late 2034. The mandates apply only to operations in the contiguous 48 states.
The FAA calculates that 58,500 RAs on 40,700 aircraft in the existing civil fleet must be upgraded. The initial deadline affects 27,200 RAs on 12,500 Part 121 and Part 129 aircraft, the agency said.
Projected fleet growth will boost these figures to 29,500 RAs on 13,500 aircraft by the end of 2030, the FAA projects.
The FAA estimates each upgrade will cost $80,000-120,000, or $4.8-7.2 billion for all affected civil aircraft. Domestic operators, including Part 135 carriers and other small entities, will see reimbursements for at least some of those costs under an FCC plan that will use some of the auction proceeds. Other operators, including non-U.S. airlines, advocated for inclusion in the rebate program, but were not successful.
“While foreign operators are not covered under FCC’s RA retrofit rebate program and therefore bear the full burden of replacement, some may be able to reduce their total costs by only replacing RAs in a subsection of aircraft designated for U.S. operations instead of replacing the RAs for all their aircraft,” the FAA said.
The U.S. Defense Department (DOD) estimates it will spend $3-4 billion to upgrade its affected fleet and will need about eight years.
“FAA will work with the [DOD] to address any aircraft that are not equipped by the Oct. 31, 2034, compliance deadline,” the FAA said. The final rule includes a provision to issue airworthiness directives with operational restrictions to protect legacy RAs from interference until the units are upgraded.
