Rockwell Collins to Upgrade KC-135 with Digital Avionics Suite
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, Other Corporation, Specialty Aircraft
(click to view full)
Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, IA received a $33.5 million contract to modernize the KC-135 Stratotanker with a digital avionics suite [PDF], including a digital autopilot, flight director, radar altimeter and electronic engine instrument display.
Prototype aircraft will be modified during the engineering, manufacturing and development phase to establish the production baseline for 415 additional KC-135R and T aircraft expected to receive the Block 45 cockpit upgrade…
(click to view full)
The autopilot flight director system and upgrades to the flight management software provide the user with vertical navigation capabilities. The contract also calls for replacing the aging analog engine instruments with a large format color electronic engine instrument display.
Rockwell Collins is providing the upgrade so that the KC-135 meets communication/navigation/surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) requirements for operating in commercial airspace throughout the world. Rockwell Collins has modified and delivered more than 300 Global ATM (GATM) equipped KC-135 aircraft to date. “KC-135R Tanker’s Global Air Traffic Program Continues” looks specifically at the GATM upgrades for the KC-135R model.
For more than 50 years, the KC-135 Stratotanker has provided the core aerial refueling capability to support the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, and allied nation aircraft.
At this time $6.6 million has been obligated under the contract. The 827 ASG CONS at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma manages the contract (FA8105-09-C-0004).
