Rockwell Collins will provide components to upgrade the avionics in Air Force and NATO E-3 airborne warning and control system aircraft, according to a company release Monday. The components will allow the Air Force’s 33 E-3B/C aircraft and NATO’s 17 E-3As to operate in congested civil airspace. Rockwell will perform this work under contract to Boeing, the AWACS prime contractor. The new equipment, which Boeing will install, includes an integrated avionics system, including cockpit controls and displays, a flight management system, and a suite of communication and navigation equipment. Once the new gear is installed, AWACS pilots “will benefit from having the most advanced avionics to help them accomplish their missions,” said Dave Nieuwsma, Rockwell’s vice president and general manager of mobility and rotary wing solutions.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 defense budget, submitted to Congress last week, accelerates the downsizing of the U.S. Air Force. It proposes divesting 340 aircraft, while only acquiring 76. These cuts risk the Air Force’s ability prevail. “Peace through strength” has...
