The developers of the KC-30 Tanker have decided to use Honeywell's FAA-certified Military Airborne Collision Avoidance System - Formation Rendezvous (MILACAS-FR) on the next-generation military tanker. The system is designed to enhance accuracy and safety during flight formations by detecting nearby aircraft and evaluating their threat potential to the KC-30. The system provides traffic alerts and maneuvering advisories to help pilots avoid mid-air collisions and fly in tight formations -- operations inherent to the mid-air refueling mission. “Integrating proven, FAA-certified systems like the MILACAS-FR, will ensure the warfighter receives the very best technology available,'' said Paul Meyer, vice president and general manager of the KC-30 program. ``Selecting certified systems also reduces risk and ensures our deliveries remain on schedule.''
Honeywell's MILACAS-FR system was certified for use on all military aircraft earlier this year and is currently being installed on other air mobility aircraft. The KC-30 Tanker carries 45,000 more pounds of fuel than a KC-135 tanker. It is also designed to refuel Navy and coalition aircraft, and to serve as a multi-role transport aircraft to move passengers, cargo and medical evacuation patients. The KC-30 incorporates defense systems, precision fly-by-wire technology, and the ability to integrate a communications suite and a global support network. The KC-30 will be assembled in Mobile, AL. It will be built by an industrial team led by Northrop Grumman, with EADS North America, General Electric Aviation, Honeywell and Sargent Fletcher.