The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has procured uAvionix VTU-20 ADS-B Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMAT) to be deployed on all FAA vehicles operating at airports across the United States at a value of $16.5 million, which includes installation and continuing service of the systems.
This procurement marks a significant expansion of the FAA’s surface safety portfolio, especially driven by the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI)- a nationwide effort to improve airfield safety by providing Air Traffic Control (ATC) with real-time visibility of both aircraft and ground vehicles on airport surfaces.
With this latest procurement, 2000 FAA Technical Operations vehicles across the US, which are critical to maintaining airport communication, navigation and surveillance equipment on the airfield, will now be visible to controllers and nearby aircraft, closing one of the longstanding visibility gaps on the airfield surface. VMATs will be deployed at over 250 airports with surface surveillance systems, including SAI, ASDE-X, and ASSC systems.
Airfield environments are inherently dynamic, particularly during adverse weather or high-tempo operations such as snow removal, maintenance, and peak traffic periods. Ground vehicles must operate near or on active runways, often under time pressure and limited visibility, increasing the risk of runway incursions and near-miss events.
Recent high-profile runway incidents, including the recent accident at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), have intensified focus on the risks posed by vehicles operating without ADS-B visibility. A lack of real-time tracking of ground vehicles can significantly degrade situational awareness for both pilots and controllers. The FAA recently reinforced this position in its latest Part 139 CertAlert, strongly encouraging airports to equip vehicles with VMATs to improve safety outcomes.
The uAvionix VTU-20 is an FAA-qualified ADS-B vehicle system designed for rapid deployment across diverse airport vehicle fleets. It broadcasts precise position data in real time to ATC, nearby aircraft, and other equipped vehicles, significantly enhancing surface awareness.
“Airports are some of the most complex and unforgiving operating environments in transportation, especially when visibility is reduced or operations are under pressure,” said Cyriel Kronenburg, Vice President of Airports and ATM at uAvionix. “Ensuring that every vehicle on the movement area is visible in real time—just like aircraft—fundamentally changes the safety equation. This procurement reflects the FAA’s commitment to deploying practical, scalable solutions that deliver immediate situational awareness and help prevent the types of close calls we continue to see across the system.”
The FAA’s SAI program is rapidly scaling across U.S. towered airports, supplementing the existing 44 ASDE-X and ASSC systems through expanded ADS-B–based surveillance at an additional 95 airport by the end of this year. The initiative enables real-time display of aircraft and properly equipped ground vehicles directly on ATC tower screens, enhancing situational awareness and reducing the risk of runway incursions.
As SAI continues to roll out across U.S. airports, the integration of VTU-20 on FAA vehicles establishes a baseline for broader adoption across airport operations, emergency, snow and maintenance fleets and other typical operators on the surface.
