Posted by Courtney E. Howard

ANNAPOLIS, Md., 20 Dec. 2011. ARINC Engineering Services LLC engineers, under contract with Rockwell Collins, has upgraded the navigation systems and advanced communications equipment on two OC-135B “Open Skies” observation aircraft. ARINC engineers installed the Rockwell Collins Block 40 Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) navigational upgrade and multiple new communications systems on both planes. With GATM navigational capability, the OC-135B meets worldwide Communications, Navigation, Surveillance, and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) mandates.

ARINC engineers finished the work on schedule at its expanded Aircraft Modification and Operations Center (AMOC) in Oklahoma City, Okla. Work on the first OC-135B aircraft was completed earlier this year, and the second was delivered to the Air Force September 30.

“ARINC is excited to complete this demanding assignment for Rockwell Collins,” says Jeffery Willis, ARINC director, Defense Programs, Oklahoma City. “As our first-ever
GATM installation program, the OC-135B has benefited from the efficient use of ARINC’s enlarged AMOC facility and the quality workforce we employ at this location.”

ARINC’s Aircraft Modification and Operations Center (AMOC), expanded in mid-2011, boasts the two largest commercial aircraft hangars in Oklahoma City, featuring a total of 160,000 square feet.