Definition
A family of computer-driven radar display systems used by terminal air traffic controllers (primarily in TRACON facilities) to track aircraft, display flight identification and altitude data alongside each radar target, and assist with separation and sequencing of arriving and departing traffic.
Plain English
A computer system that takes the raw radar picture and adds useful labels next to each aircraft — like its callsign and altitude — so the controller can manage traffic more easily.
Context Anchor
Encountered in TRACON and approach-control discussions about how controllers see, identify, and manage aircraft near airports.
Derivation
The name is descriptive: it automates (using computers) what controllers see on their radar terminal screens. Earlier radar showed only blips; ARTS added the data tags that turn each blip into an identifiable aircraft.
Why Pilots Care
Controllers depend on ARTS to maintain safe aircraft separation and efficient traffic flow in busy terminal airspace.
Intuition Check
Do not read “terminal” here as the passenger building at an airport. In air traffic control, “terminal” means the airport-area airspace and facilities that handle arriving and departing traffic.
Example Sentence 1
The TRACON controller used the ARTS display to sequence the inbound aircraft for the ILS approach.
Example Sentence 2
ARTS provided real-time position and altitude data that allowed the controller to issue precise vectors.