Rockwell Collins’ CRIIS Passes Risk Reduction Flight on F/A-18

Rockwell Collins has successfully performed the first live, risk-reduction flight utilizing production fit, form, and function F/A-18 ground and airborne equipment from the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS). This flight took place at the Atlantic Test Range (ATR) at Patuxent River, Maryland.

The CRIIS program is in development in order to fulfill the critical Department of Defense (DoD) requirements to provide Time, Space, Position Information (TSPI), supplementary platform test data, and to employ a more prosperous, spectrally efficient data link, encompassing multiple independent levels of security (MILS). Just recently, the multiple independent levels of security encryption completed certification of the program, and has the capabilities to protect four distinct levels of secure data flowing between ground components and the aircraft.

The flight at the Atlantic Test Range was used to demonstrate vital functions including air-to-ground downlink of time space positioning instrumentation (TSPI) messages, ground-to-air uplink of GPS correction messages, data link network ingress after takeoff, as well as network services from various data link towers. Much of this equipment will be used to support a wide range of platforms including advanced fifth-generation aircrafts. As a prime contract and systems integrator for the next generation of military test range systems, Rockwell Collins is currently under development working to replace the Advanced Range Data System (ARDS) which is currently being used at major United States military test ranges.

"This flight demonstrates that the production equipment is real and can hook into existing military systems,” said Tommy Dodson, Rockwell Collins Surface Solutions general manager and vice president. "We are done with development and are on track to complete our testing this year and start production in 2016. The next generation of secure, common test and training instrumentation is ready."

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