Collins delivers training system for U.S. Navy

TCTS II allows fast air-to-ground, air-to-air communication

The Gazette

May. 26, 2023 2:45 pm

A U.S. Navy F/A-18 jet is shown. Collins Aerospace, the largest private employer in Cedar Rapids, has delivered a new training system to the Navy for air-to-ground and air-to-air communication. (Raytheon Technologies)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Collins Aerospace has announced delivery of a Tactical Combat Training System for the U.S. Navy.

The system — TCTS II — allows aircrews “to train and improve joint tactics, techniques and procedures in an NSA-certified secure environment," said John Sapp, vice president and general manager of Integrated Solutions for Collins, a Raytheon company and the largest private employer in Cedar Rapids.

The system’s long-range, air-to-air and air-to-ground networking supports real-time exchanges of data for F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, the company said in a news release.

The system features an open-architecture design, high encryption capability, computing power and a robust datalink. It will be the foundation for next-generation training that will use a combination of live, virtual and constructive entities, the news release stated.

TCTS II is planned to replace the U.S. Navy's legacy ACMI tracking systems with a single system to support training, from tactical aircrew training to force exercise events, including mobile and fixed locations worldwide, the company said.

TCTS II, developed and built by Collins Aerospace and Leonardo DRS, is a scalable system that enables highly secure air combat training among fourth- and fifth-generation U.S. aircraft and international aircraft, the company said.