Collins Aerospace marks its 26th year of collaborating with the U.S. Air Force to upgrade more than 400 KC-135 aircraft with new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) solutions under its open systems approach to the Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) program. Working together, Collins and USAF enabled the KC-135 to freely operate in civil airspace and remain mission relevant, safe and reliable 60 years after the KC-135 was first introduced into service.
The program executive officers for some of the Air Force’s largest acquisition management organizations are struggling to deal with an exodus of senior talent and experienced civilian staff, three of them told an industry conference.

