Rockwell Collins Claims Free Flight Lead

With Traffic Data Communications Gear

Rockwell Collins is positioning itself for "free flight" leadership by participating in key government implementation programs in the US and Europe while at the same time supplying a full range of avionics for controller-pilot-data-link communication. CPDLC will be tested beginning mid-2001 in support of Europe's PETAL II program and the CPDLC Build 1/1a initiative in the US.

"This program is intended to mature to an operational build identified as CPDLC Build 2," the company reports.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Rockwell Collins is participating in the Government Industry Partnership which is to lead to a full-scale Global Navigation Satellite System Landing System. The company occupies leading slots on committees now defining CNS/ATM (communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management) and GATM (global air traffic management) requirements.)

Once the needs are defined, functionality will be made possible with such Rockwell Collins hardware as multi-mode receivers with GPS capabilities, as well as the CMU-900 communications management unit and APM-900 aircraft personality module-both now certified on the Boeing 737-800, enabling the aircraft for CNS/ATM operation (additional STCs have been completed for 747-100/200, 737-400, 757 and MD-80 aircraft), and systems like Collins Flight2, which allows military customers to fit into the overall GATM scheme using of-the-shelf commercial cockpit systems.

The systems are already finding application on existing and new aircraft.

Collins Flight2 including CMU-900 for data link and SAT-2000 for satcom radio is being installed on 544 USAF C/KC-135 aircraft, allowing for GATM operation. Rockwell Collins has teamed with Lockheed Martin to offer Collins Flight2 for 520 USAF C-130s.

Rockwell Collins is to provide data link upgrades for 52 Airbus aircraft ordered by United Airlines, as well as CMU-900 and APM-900 hardware for United's Airbus and Boeing retrofit efforts.

The company's Collins Pro Line 21 suite has been chosen as standard CNS equipment on the Bell-Agusta 609 tiltrotor aircraft.

In cockpit modernization, Rockwell Collins is the first to use Ethernet™ technology for flight-critical information delivery, as an advanced display system has been picked for Boeing's extended-range 767-400.

Also supporting the cockpit of the future is a Synthetic Vision Information System now being developed by a Rockwell Collins-led NASA team.

By Rich Piellisch