Raytheon Technologies subsidiary Collins Aerospace is set to deliver on a full rate production U.S. Navy award for the Tactical Combat Training System – Increment II Air Combat Training System.
Both airborne and ground subsystems are included in the contract, which will support fielding requirements at a number of the service branch’s training ranges, Raytheon announced from Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday.
“TCTS II addresses today’s peer threat, enabling aircrews to train and improve joint tactics, techniques and procedures in an NSA-certified secure environment,” said John Sapp, vice president and general manager of integrated solutions at Collins Aerospace.
Designed and constructed alongside partner Leonardo DRS, TCTS II is a scalable and flexible open architecture system built to provide secure air combat training among fourth and fifth generation U.S. aircraft as well as international aircraft.
TCTS II aids training initiatives ranging from tactical aircrew unit level training events to force exercise events at mobile and fixed locations globally. It will supplant the Navy’s legacy ACMI tracking systems, providing a single, integrated platform for training management.
The system was flight tested on F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, during which it demonstrated a long-range, air-to-air and air-to-ground networking capability that allowed for real time data exchanges.
Sapp said that during the assessment phase, Collins Aerospace demonstrated TCTS II’s unique ability to merge into existing infrastructure, tactical intercepts and real-time mission completion alerts.
Offering an open-architecture design, a strong encryption capability, computing power and robust datalink, TCTS II is intended to lay the groundwork for novel training scenarios that incorporate live, virtual and constructive elements.