USAF KC-135R legacy tankers gains real-time information capabilities in cockpit
NewsSeptember 17, 2018
WASHINGTON. U.S. Air Force (USAF) officials selected Rockwell Collins to advance advance communications capabilities for its KC-135R fleet with the implementation of a Real Time Information in the Cockpit (RTIC) system.
This marks the first time that this solution with Link 16 communications will be permanently integrated on legacy tanker aircraft, officials say. Rockwell Collins will be responsible for system integration and testing to relay, control, and display information onto the existing avionics and other stand-alone displays. The system to be implemented on the KC-135R leverages the Block 40 and Block 45 avionics architectures and many components from the USAF C-130 RTIC program
“Pilots and boom operators will now be able to view intelligence feeds on the new avionics displays we’re providing as part of their Block 45 upgrade,” says Dave Schreck, vice president and general manager, Airborne Solutions for Rockwell Collins. “With information such as enemy threats, target data, and blue force locations at their fingertips, crews will gain real-time situational awareness to more effectively carry out their missions.”
