Anchorage ARTCC

 (1969-Active) - One of 22 FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC)s in the United States. Established in 1969 near Anchorage, Anchorage Borough, Alaska. Assigned an FAA ID of ZAN. Active FAA ARTCC. Also known as Anchorage Center.

Description
The Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAN) located adjacent to Elmendorf Air Force Base at 700 North Boniface Parkway in Anchorage, Alaska. The present Anchorage ARTCC Facility was opened on 16 Jun 1969. The Anchorage Center (ZAN) covers part of the Western Service Area.

History
15 Sep 1943 - Commissioned Anchorage ARTCC.

16 Jun 1969 - Commissioned new Anchorage ARTCC building, located on Elmendorf AFB. Formal dedication ceremonies were on 21 Aug 1969.

4 Aug 1980 - Commissioned the first En Route Automated Radar Tracking System (EARTS) at the Anchorage ARTCC, Alaska. The system was developed for the special needs of the widely dispersed centers at Anchorage, Honolulu, and San Juan, EARTS was simpler and less costly than the automated systems used to track en route traffic at centers within the contiguous U.S.

Mar 1984 - Sperry Corporation received a contract to upgrade the EARTS at the Anchorage, Honolulu, and San Juan Centers, as well as at Nellis Air Force Base. The contractor would provide radar mosaic to allow EARTS controllers to view the best data from multiple radars on a single screen, a capability similar to that available at Centers with NAS En Route Stage A systems.

Apr 1985 - Sperry received another contract to enhance the EARTS facilities by providing conflict alert and minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) capabilities.

1985 - Majority of Alaskan Military AC&W radar sites deactivated and replaced with Joint Use FPS-117 Minimally Attended Radars (MAR) and redesignated as Long Range Radar Sites (LRRS). The LRRS were contractor operated and maintained without military personnel.

Aug 1987 - FAA accepted delivery of the combined conflict alert/MSAW software package. By FY1991, all the upgraded operational EARTS had been commissioned.

1 Jan 2001 - FAA began the first use of automatic dependent surveillance B (ADS-B) technology to track and service traffic near Bethel, Alaska – an area that had no radar coverage. The new system used ground-based transceivers to pick up transmissions from aircraft equipped with ADS-B. The information was then transmitted via phone line and satellite to the Anchorage ARTCC, where it was displayed electronically to controllers.

3 Apr 2007 - FAA announced the completion of advanced technologies and oceanic procedures (ATOP) deployment with the installation at the Anchorage ARTCC. This technology enabled controllers to separate aircraft in areas outside radar coverage or direct radio communication, such as over oceans. It also detected conflicts between aircraft and provided satellite data link communication and position information to air traffic controllers.

24 Jun 2010 - FAA announced controllers at the Anchorage ARTCC and at the Juneau air traffic control tower were using ADS-B, critical for operations in Juneau because, like in the Gulf of Mexico, there was no radar coverage there.

26 Jul 2011 - FAA $85 million contract award to Harris Corp for the replacement and upgrade of the existing satellite communications network linking the Anchorage ARTCC with 64 FAA facilities throughout the region.

10 May 2012 - FAA announced a contract award to ITT Exelis and GE Naverus to help accelerate the development of satellite-based procedures that would allow aircraft to fly more directly to their destinations. Under the $2.77 million contract, ITT Exelis, the prime contractor, and GE Naverus, the sub-contractor, would develop required navigation performance (RNP) approach procedures into five airports: Ted Stevens Anchorage International, James M. Cox Dayton International, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (Kansas City), General Mitchell International (Milwaukee) and Syracuse Hancock International.

Current Status
Active FAA facility in Anchorage, Alaska.

See Also:
 * FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers
 * JSS and FAA Radar Sites

Sources:
 * ATC History
 * Anchorage ARTCC- Facility Guide

Links:
 * Radomes - Anchorage FAA Radar Site
 * Wikipedia - Joint Surveillance System