Rockwell Collins has won the rights to upgrade the instrumentation at the Air Force’s test ranges as well as those of the Army and Navy. USAF chose Rockwell over Boeing, awarding an initial contract valued at $140 million—with options worth more—for delivery of the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System, or CRIIS. This will replace the services’ 1980s-era range equipment with new gear that provides better data-collection capability, safety features, and ability to accurately evaluate complex new weapons. “Rockwell Collins’ proven technology, coupled with our open systems approach, enables the Air Force to deliver a low-risk solution for military test ranges,” said Ron Hornish, Rockwell’s head of precision strike solutions, in the company’s release. The Air Force expects to field the first increment of CRIIS mid-decade. Rockwell and Boeing had been maturing their respective CRIIS concepts since 2008.
Promotions to the Space Force’s second highest enlisted grade, senior master sergeant, have surged to the highest level in the young service’s history, bolstering the senior NCO corps as officials plan to aggressively expand the force and especially the enlisted corps.