Deal Worth $437 Million Over 10 Years

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded a $437 million contract Tuesday to Raytheon, to support the agency in training air traffic controllers.

"This is a performance-based contract that is designed to allow us to train controllers better, faster and cheaper," said FAA Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell. "It holds Raytheon accountable for meeting our stringent training requirements and offers incentives for improving the quality of training while lowering the overall time and cost."

The 10-year award to Raytheon will replace separate contracts to support initial training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and to support ongoing training in air traffic facilities nationwide. The consolidation into a single contract will give Raytheon the ability to support the entire lifecycle of controller training. This in turn will allow the FAA to provide more integrated training activities throughout a controller’s career.

The FAA also has the flexibility to update the training to adapt to ongoing changes in technology, aviation procedures and operations that will impact the way controllers handle air traffic in the future.

Under the terms of the contract, Raytheon will be responsible for helping the FAA train controllers from the time they’re hired and throughout their career. This includes conducting resident Academy qualification and specialized training, supporting classroom and simulation training in the field, developing and maintaining training materials, and providing administrative support for training at the Academy and in the field.

The FAA will continue to be responsible for managing the overall training program, recruiting and hiring candidates, conducting performance verification, on-the-job training and credentialing.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.raytheon.com