Collins Aerospace - Experts & Thought Leaders

Collins Aerospace has successfully demonstrated its next-generation life support systems for deep space habitation as part of a ceremonial event with NASA at its laboratory in Windsor Locks, Conn. The demonstration completes the company’s multi-year program supporting NASA’s public-private partnership enabled by the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency  Announcement, Appendix A. Air Revitalisation System Collins’ solution is a modular Air Revitalisation System, which is part of the company’s Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). The new system was designed so its controls for temperature, CO2 removal, trace contaminants, and humidity fit into a smaller pallet-based system that requires less space while providing easier access to key components. The ethernet-based system is wireless so it can link to various computers or tablets. Additionally, its interchangeable rack-based design enables customisation to fit a variety of mission requirements. Accessibility  Our newly designed pallets are about half the size of the equipment racks currently found on the ISS" “Our newly designed pallets, which look like large lockers, are about half the size of the equipment racks currently found on the International Space Station (ISS),” said Peggy Guirgis, general manager, Space Systems, ISR and Space for Collins Aerospace. “Our life support systems are arranged in these pallets in a way that makes sensors and other important components more accessible by crew members. As missions to deep space get longer, astronauts will need to service and maintain their own equipment and we’re making sure they can do so as easily as possible.” Human space exploration The new pallets will be delivered to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., where they will be used in NASA’s Integrated ECLSS Ground Testing. Enabling human space exploration has been a core focus of Collins Aerospace since the inception of the nation’s spaceflight program dating back to the Apollo era. As an industry pioneer in ECLSS for ISS and deep space, Collins has developed and manufactured several key life support system technologies for NASA and industry, including the water recovery system currently in use on the International Space Station.

As a company aspiring to be climate neutral by 2030, Bertelsmann, a media, services, and education company based in Gütersloh, Germany, and operating in about 50 countries around the world are taking a step in the right direction after going paperless in the cockpits of its corporate aircraft and becoming the first certified business jet operator in Germany to achieve fully paperless flight operations. Flight support services Bertelsmann has been working with Collins Aerospace for more than a decade to implement various flight support services targeted at the business jet market. Working closely with the sales and marketing team at Collins, Marcus Brunninger, corporate pilot and managing director of Flight Operations for Bertelsmann, has regularly learned of new cost-effective and efficient solutions for his company’s fleet of two Dassault Falcon 2000LXS aircraft. Digital solutions After implementing ARINCDirectSM's iPad®-accessible flight planning tools and FOS®, all flight data is securely stored “Working with Collins over the years has been mutually beneficial as they’ve helped us discover the best digital solutions to our problems,” Brunninger said. “We’ve come to trust the ongoing guidance and support from their knowledgeable business aviation professionals.” Most recently, after implementing ARINCDirectSM's iPad®-accessible flight planning tools and Flight Operations System (FOS®) available from Collins, all of Bertelsmann’s flight data and reports are now accessible and securely stored in one easy-to-access online location rather than requiring printed copies in the cockpit. Efficiency and safety Customers in the commercial and business aviation space have been calling for a digital transformation to improve efficiency and safety. Paper documents produce excess waste and quickly become outdated. By contrast, implementing digital solutions can reduce that waste, enhance sustainability efforts, and offer real-time data for flight planning. Reducing environmental footprint We congratulate companies like Bertelsmann who are taking clear actions to a safer and sustainable future" “We designed these applications to help operators like Bertelsmann’s Flight Ops Group make flight planning easier and more efficient, cut costs, and reduce their environmental footprint,” said Mike Shearer, head of Business Aviation Sales for Collins Aerospace. “As Collins continues to drive digitisation in the aviation industry, we congratulate companies like Bertelsmann who are taking clear actions towards a safer and more sustainable future.”  ARINCDirect's iPad-accessible flight planning tools ARINCDirect's iPad-accessible flight planning tools are designed for in-flight use by the crew with or without internet connectivity. They enable quick access to everything from flight plans, weight and balance calculations, weather data, and the recently added oceanic plotting feature. FOS streamlines flight operations by gathering all a pilot or crew’s necessary information in one place without any repeated data entry saving time and money. Collins regularly adds the capability to existing products and brings new digital products to market in support of aviation’s sustainability objectives.

Collins Aerospace has been selected as the Mission System solutions provider for the next phase of the Air Launched Effects (ALE) small programme for Army Aviation’s Enduring and Future Vertical Lift (FVL) fleet. In November 2021, Collins Aerospace successfully demonstrated the ready-now RapidEdge™ Mission System to support this critical programme. ALE is an attritable Family of Systems (FoS) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that is launched from a helicopter, large UAS or other alternate platform that has a variety of payloads designed to help Army Aviation increase reach, lethality and survivability of manned platforms when operating against peer threat systems. RapidEdge™ Mission System The Collins RapidEdge™ Mission System achieves all those goals by providing central functionality including radios for communication, solutions for handling multiple levels of classified data and mission computing. It also enables multiple, autonomous, ALEs to work together toward a common goal by leveraging individual payloads to make a greater impact on dynamic and complex operational environments. Solving customer’s challenges The open systems approach allows for integration of third-party capabilities to avoid vendor lock Leveraging a robust, resilient and modular open systems approach at a high technology readiness level and manufacturing readiness level, RapidEdge™ Mission System solves customer challenges within the small UAS market. Additionally, the open systems approach allows for integration of third-party capabilities to avoid vendor lock and gives the government the option to add capabilities if needed. Authority comment “The RapidEdge™ Mission System demonstrates Collins’ technical and tactical expertise in the ALE market,” said John Sapp, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions for Collins Aerospace. “This award is another proof point that Collins is always ready to solve complex and challenging customer problems today.”