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.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…