Newark Liberty International Airport has received a new Surface Movement Radar Model 4 (SMR-4) system aimed at preventing incidents on its runways. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the deployment on Tuesday, stating the system will allow air traffic controllers to track aircraft and vehicles on runways and taxiways regardless of weather or visibility.
The SMR-4 replaces 30-year-old radar equipment that had become difficult to maintain and lacking in available replacement parts. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford highlighted the importance of modernizing aging infrastructure, noting that the previous system was no longer supported by manufacturers.
"We think of modernization not just as replacing all of this old equipment. And again, this is a 30-year-old box: we can’t maintain it, they don’t build it, they don’t supply replacement parts for it. So when these things break, they’re no longer available to us, so getting this investment is critical," Bedford said.
This deployment marks the fifth SMR-4 system installed in the U.S. as part of the FAA's broader modernization effort. The agency plans to install 53 of these radars at 44 of the nation's busiest airports. Production of the radar system has been brought back to Syracuse, New York, aligning with the agency's focus on onshoring critical infrastructure manufacturing.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized the enhanced safety capabilities of the new radar, stating it provides controllers with better technology to monitor aircraft and vehicles on the ground and on final approach. "It allows controllers on a dark night, or controllers in bad weather, if they can’t see out of the tower and see what’s happening on the tarmac, they can actually use this radar to see on their screens where everything is at – airplanes, vehicles – and again, it keeps the American public safer as we use American skies," Duffy said.
The Department of Transportation and FAA reported installing 96 new systems nationwide over the past year as part of their surface awareness initiative. According to FAA data, there have been 1,102 runway incursions in fiscal year 2026 so far, a decrease from 1,197 during the same period in the previous year. These figures encompass operational incidents, pilot deviations, and vehicle or pedestrian deviations.