Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg sees opportunity

Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg on Tuesday said he sees “pretty significant” opportunities to supply systems on Boeing's newestcommercial airliner, the 777X.

“We don't have a lot of standard content on the existing 777, so I think our opportunities to gain share are pretty significant on the 777X,” Ortberg told a Credit Suisse conference that was broadcast over the Internet.

Ortberg said Boeing was determining how much of the current 777 widebody airplane might be changed. Should the jetmaker decide to use systems on the new jet similar to those on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, he said Rockwell Collins would have a greater opportunity to supply the 777X.

Rockwell Collins supplies avionics systems for the Boeing 787.

Ortberg also said the aviation electronics supplier expected to know what content the company might have on the 777X by late spring or early summer 2014.

The 777X, a widebody jet designed to carry up to 406 people on long-haul routes, may enter commercial service by 2020.

Ortberg in September said the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft should provide strong revenue growth for Rockwell Collins' air transport business in 2014.

The company expects several air transport contracts to drive revenue for years to come, including equipment to support the first flight of the Airbus A350 and the flight deck display system for the new Boeing 737MAX.