Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland, marking a major milestone in the company's work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize voice communication systems across the U.S. National Airspace System.
The new facility complements Rohde & Schwarz USA's existing operations in Coppell, Texas, providing the necessary capacity to fulfill the multi-billion-dollar contract from the FAA to manufacture the CERTIUM Voice Communication System (VCS) under the Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) initiative. The program aims to replace legacy analog communication infrastructure and modernize and secure voice communication across the National Airspace System.
“Ultimately, this is about the air traffic controllers who depend on these systems every day to safely separate aircraft and manage the flow of traffic” Rohde & Schwarz USA President and CEO Frank Dunn said.
Rohde & Schwarz USA's new manufacturing facility in Frederick represents a $40 million investment. The company leased the facility in 2025 and, in less than a year, has fully staffed the site with approximately 100 employees and scaled production to meet the pace of the FAA program.
Designed to manufacture the next-generation CERTIUM VCS, the facility features advanced manufacturing processes and testing capabilities. The company expects the expansion to create over 350 jobs.
Rohde & Schwarz USA plans to deploy its field-proven CERTIUM VCS, compliant with the latest ED-137 standard, across the U.S. The first system under the FAA contract was deployed and went live in September 2025 at Allegheny County Airport near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, marking the first modern voice-over-IP VCS in the National Airspace System under the contract.
With the installation of the 140th system in Rapid City, South Dakota, Rohde & Schwarz USA has completed Wave 1 ahead of schedule.
