Collins Aerospace successfully completes modernization of legacy E-6B Block I aircraft

  • Features new command and control communication, and capabilities for voice, data & video distribution

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Dec. 7, 2020) – Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX), has successfully completed modernizing the E-6B Block I aircraft fleet, part of the Navy’s Airborne Command Post and Take Charge and Move Out (ABNCP/TACAMO) Weapon System missions. The upgraded aircraft features a new command and control battlestaff, communications central control, multi-enclave voice/data/video distribution system, and an Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion (IPBE) digital backbone. Collins Aerospace acted as the Mission System Integrator (MSI), designing, developing, producing, installing, and qualifying the recapitalization of the mission system.

“The Block I contract is an example and testament to Collins Aerospace’s ability to deliver comprehensive, integrated and durable solutions to the Navy and E-6B community,” said Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions, Mission Systems, Collins Aerospace. “As a result of this upgrade, crews have a modern, multi-enclave mission system that provides a full picture of their operating environment."

As part of the ABNCP mission, the E-6B is an airborne command post and communications relay for U.S. nuclear forces. For the TACAMO mission, the E-6B provides the survivable communications link to our submarine forces using Collins Aerospace’s Very Low Frequency (VLF) terminal.

The work was completed at Will Rogers Airport where the company’s co-located modification facility completed the 8-year full-rate Production (FRP) effort. With over 50 years of working within the TACAMO community, Collins Aerospace continues to deliver integrated solutions that ensure the utmost performance for the Navy’s critical, no-fail, missions.

About Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the extensive capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and broad expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. For more information, visit CollinsAerospace.com.

About Raytheon Technologies

Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

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