Boeing names electronic subsystems suppliers for Air Force KC-46 aerial refueling tanker aircraft
ST. LOUIS, 22 June 2011. Honeywell Aerospace, Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Co., and Rockwell Collins are among the companies providing aviation electronics subsystems and components for the future U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-46 aerial refueling tanker. Officials from the The Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis made the announcement today during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France.Honeywell Aerospace in Coon Rapids, Minn., will provide the air data inertial navigation system for the KC-46, while the company's facility in Phoenix will provide the auxiliary power unit. The Honeywell Aerospace facility in Tucson, Ariz., will provide the KC-46 cabin pressure control system, while the company's facility in Urbana, Ohio, will provide the tanker's lighting system.The Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems segment in Rolling Meadows, Ill., will provide the KC-46's Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), while the Raytheon Co. Space and Airborne Systems segment in El Segundo, Calif., will provide the tanker's digital radar warning receiver and digital anti-jam global positioning system (GPS) receiver.
Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will provide the KC-46 integrated display system with 15.1-inch diagonal liquid crystal displays, which are based on the avionics suite for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jet. Rockwell Collins also will provide the KC-46's tactical situational awareness system, remote vision system 3-D and 2-D technology for the boom operator, the communications, navigation, surveillance (CNI) system, networking, and flight-control systems.
The DRS Technologies Inc. Laurel Technologies Partnership in Johnstown, Pa., will provide the KC-46's Aerial Refueling Operator Station (AROS); the Eaton Aerospace facility in Grand Rapids, Mich., will provide the tanker's electromechanical and cargo door actuation systems; and GE Aviation Systems facilities in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Clearwater, Fla., will provide the KC-46 mission control system.
Woodward Inc. in Skokie, Ill., meanwhile, will provide the sensor system, control unit, and telescopic and flight control sticks for the KC-46-s aerial refueling boom.
The Air Force chose Boeing last February to build the KC-46 tanker to replace ageing KC-135 tankers. The KC-46 is based on the Boeing 767- passenger jetliner, while the KC-135 is based on the venerable Boeing 707 airframe. KC-46 suppliers include more than 800 companies in more than 40 states.For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/bds, or the Paris Air Show at www.paris-air-show.com.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
