Rockwell Collins receives large U.S. Air Force contracts

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Rockwell Collins two contracts, including one of the largest repair contracts in terms of volume in the 80-year history of the Cedar Rapids company.

The avionics repair package consists of nearly 4,000 line replaceable units across the fleet of 417 KC-135 aircraft. The one-year base contract has three one-year options that covers Rockwell Collins' Multimode Weather Radar and is a step towards a collaborative, flexible longer-term agreement.

"This historic contract extends our successful relationship with the U.S. Air Force for upgrading and maintaining the KC-135," said Scott Gunnufson, vice president and general manager of service solutions for Rockwell Collins.

Rockwell Collins also has been awarded a three-year, $4.8 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Air National Guard for service and support of its KC-135 Pacer CRAG avionics equipment. The Pacer CRAG program represents the Air Force wants to extend  the KC-135's functional life to 2040, when the KC-135 is scheduled to be decommissioned.

The Pacer CRAG avionics upgrade to the KC-135 fleet is a commercial, off-the-shelf modification program that eliminates the need for a navigator on most missions.

Rockwell Collins was selected in 1995 as the prime contractor for the Pacer CRAG program to upgrade the KC-135 with compass, radar and global positioning system GPS technology.

In 1999, Rockwell Collins was named the prime contractor for the KC-135 Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) program. The KC-135 GATM system is operational, with 417 aircraft delivered on time and on budget, meeting 100 percent of the program's systems requirements.