ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2026) – SNC, together with BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, and GE Aerospace today announced a unique consortium of industry leaders to develop a comprehensive modernization solution for the U.S. Air Force’s KC 135 Center Console Refresh (CCR) effort. The CCR program will update core avionics and fuel management technologies and add autothrottle capabilities across the fleet of KC 135 Stratotankers, ensuring the aircraft remain reliable force projection assets for U.S. and allied operations worldwide.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Mobility Directorate (AFLCMC/WLT) initiated the CCR effort to address significant obsolescence in the KC-135’s fuel system core components, flight displays and integrated computing architecture, which are nearing end of life and require substantial modernization to meet future mission demands. The solution offered by this team provides the KC-135 with a state-of-the-art, fully open architecture flight deck, powerful computing and navigation, autothrottle capabilities, and an enhanced fuel system that reduce pilot workload and strengthen the fleet's Operational Availability for the foreseeable future.
“As operational demands continue to grow, tanker endurance and reliability are becoming mission critical. SNC is proud to lead a team that is tackling this essential challenge,” said TK Kubit, vice president, SNC’s Survivability, Strike and C3 Business Unit. “By modernizing one of the Air Force’s most strategically important platforms, our team’s combined strengths will ensure the KC 135 is equipped for operational demands for decades to come.”
Central to the modernization effort is an advanced fuel management system designed to improve performance, reliability and mission readiness.
“Our goal for the KC-135 center console refresh is to translate the decades of technical data we have with the U.S. Air Force into a modernized cockpit experience,” said Jack Stevens, vice president and general manager of Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems. “By designing the fuel management system as a core component of this refresh, we are reducing pilot workload and ensuring our USAF pilots have a highly reliable, intuitive interface for critical mission operations.”
As the long-time avionics provider on the KC-135, Collins Aerospace adds deep platform knowledge and open-architecture expertise to the team.
“Collins will apply the systems knowledge gained over more than three decades of supporting KC-135 avionics to the proposed solution, including new flight displays and computers that support an open avionics architecture,” said Nathan Voight, vice president, Advanced Flight Systems at Collins Aerospace. “This approach is designed to give Air Force crews with a more intuitive cockpit, reduce workload and provide the flexibility to integrate new capabilities as operational demands evolve.”
GE Aerospace adds decades of military avionics experience across the Air Force's tanker and airlift fleets.
"This team brings together the right experience at the right time for the KC-135," said Matt Burns, general manager of Avionics at GE Aerospace. "GE Aerospace’s avionics fly on the KC-46 and C-130 today, and we're bringing that same performance and reliability to the Stratotanker. Together with SNC, BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, we're focused on one outcome: a modernized, mission-ready fleet."
The CCR program is expected to run from 2028 through 2038.
For more information, visit sncorp.com.
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GE Aerospace: media@geaero.com
BAE Systems: media@baesystems.com
Collins Aerospace: corporatepr@rtx.com
About SNC
SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for national security systems across all domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber. As a longstanding leader in defense technology, SNC is at the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It's part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Executive Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.