The Army National Guard Airfield Operations Battalions (AOB) and the Air Traffic Services company in the General Support Aviation Battalion in the Combat Aviation Brigades currently operate the AN/TSW-7A ATC control tower that is past its planned service life , is technically outdated, and is close to unsupportable other than by remake/reset in the Army depot system.

The Army will replace these systems with the AN/MSQ-135, Mobile Operations Tower System (MOTS). These tower systems have similar capabilities as a FAA air traffic control tower. The mobile tower is used to establish radio communications within minutes of arriving at an airfield and the complete system, including runway lighting, can be completely established on site in under an hour. Since it is a mobile system, the tower will most commonly will be set up and manned while on the cargo deck of a heavy-duty truck, but if required, the tower may be elevated to enable proper visual site lines specific to the location emplacement.

The MOTS provides a rapid deployment solution to manage air traffic in tactical environments as well as disaster relief support missions. The MOTS system includes a mobile air traffic control (ATC) tower and a portable 5000 foot, solar powered airfield lighting system. The ATC tower provides an improved environment for Army air traffic controllers to sequence air traffic in a visual flight rules environment as well as providing a mobile tactical medium intensity runway lighting system.

The AN/TSW-7A ATC tower is difficult to or non-supportable today, making the fielding of the MOTS more and more critical. The current funding profile has slowed the fielding of this critical system. First system deployed in Dec 2013 and the AAO of 39 deliver out in 2017.