The U.S. Air Force has selected Rockwell Collins to boost the communications capabilities for its legacy tanker aircraft KC-135R fleet with the implementation of a Real Time Information in the Cockpit (RTIC) system. This will mark the first permanently installed Link 16 system for a legacy U.S. tanker aircraft. Implementation of the Real Time Information in the Cockpit (RTIC) system will provide greatly enhanced situational awareness for pilots and much improved and secure communications capabilities.
“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,” said Dave Schreck, vice president and general manager of Rockwell Collins Airborne Solutions. “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.”
For Rockwell Collins, this improved system integration involves equipment installation and testing of relay, control, and display information, along with how the new systems interact with existing avionics and other standalone displays. The system to be implemented on the KC-135R leverages the successful Block 40 and Block 45 avionics architectures and many components from the USAF C-130 RTIC program.
