99 per cent uptime over nearly two decades: US Air Force extends Collins Aerospace contract to support JSTARS aircrew simulators for another 10 years

After nearly two decades of providing sustainment support, Collins Aerospace Systems has received a 10-year extension from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to provide services critical to maintaining the training system for the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft. The system includes full flight simulators and navigator training terminals located at Robins Air Force Base. Collins Aerospace is a unit of United Technologies Corp..

With a track record of 99-percent uptime over the life of the contract, Collins Aerospace will continue to help the USAF overcome obsolescence of the training system by providing cybersecurity updates, hardware upkeep as required and provide onsite logistics to assure maximum uptime.

“With the missions having anywhere from four to 15 aircrew involved, training system uptime is crucial for an effective rotation to maintain readiness,” said Nick Gibbs, vice president and general manager, Simulation and Training Solutions for Collins Aerospace. “We are proud to support the critical JSTARS mission by providing sustainable training readiness.”

The JSTARS training system is made up of two Collins Aerospace full-flight simulators as well as two navigator training stations that provide simultaneous training for both pilots and crew. Beyond the E-8C JSTARS, Collins Aerospace has been providing broad-scope, complex simulation and training systems for other platforms that include the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, B-52 Stratofortress and E-6B Mercury for over 15 years.