Testimony

The Assistant Inspector General for Auditing testified before the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee regarding the status of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). While FAA has nearly completed STARS software development, we have continuing concerns with FAA’s ability to deploy STARS within the current cost and schedule because of the compressed software testing schedule, the significant number of problems noted during recent software testing, and delays in the development of a digital radar system needed to support STARS. Because FAA has only established cost projections and a deployment schedule through 2004, neither the agency nor we can assess whether the planned full deployment by 2008 is achievable. In addition, FAA has not evaluated whether additional Common ARTS, a viable interim system, would be needed to support FAA’s terminal automation needs, should STARS deployment be further delayed.