Tinker’s KC-135 SPO wraps up GATM; benefits fleet, warfighter Published Oct. 14, 2011 By Brandice J. O'Brien Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- With today's ever-evolving technology, the global requirements for airborne communications, surveillance, and air traffic management are constantly changing. In spite of those changes, officials said the dedicated Tinker KC-135 System Program Office team has kept the 50-year old KC-135 fleet of 417 aircraft one step ahead by incorporating the latest technologies. The recently completed KC-135 Global Air Traffic Management upgrade allows KC-135s to fly optimized routes created for aircraft using the latest technologies. These optimized routes result in reduced fuel consumption, shorter flight times, and ultimately lower operating and support costs for the aircraft. The KC-135 GATM modification was completed on Sept. 21, more than three years ahead of schedule, and has been lauded by officials as an ideal acquisition program throughout the Department of Defense. "This is a 50-year-old airplane with cutting-edge technology on it now. The KC-135 was the Air Force's lead legacy fleet to install a fully-integrated GATM avionics suite," said Col. Robert Torick, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Aerospace Sustainment Directorate's C/KC-135 System Program manager. By reporting the aircraft's position, speed, altitude, and intent with greater accuracy and speed than ever before, GATM technology allows air traffic control to put eight aircraft in the same airspace restricted to a single aircraft before. This increases overall airspace capacity, but requires all participating aircraft to have the latest avionics. "If you think of the sky as having all of the arteries -- highways and various byways -- that we have on the ground, and in order to be able to travel, there are rules and positions for everything. With aircraft traveling in opposite directions separated by only 1,000 feet vertically and with closure rates of over 1,100 mph, accurate position reporting is vital," said Eric Guttery, OC-ALC C/KC-135 SPO Modification Branch Chief. Without GATM technology, KC-135s, like many other aircraft, would have to fly longer routes and potentially around countries that require GATM technologies. "The No. 1 benefit of the global air traffic management upgrade is that it allows the aircraft to get the warfighter to the fight quicker and with more fuel available," said Jeanna Fowler, GATM Program Manager in the OC-ALC C/KC-135 SPO. Installation of GATM technologies, all commercial off-the-shelf hardware, began 10 years ago and was performed by Rockwell Collins /Boeing in San Antonio. Aggressive program management and capitalizing on proven performance allowed the overall installation time to be cut by more than three years. While the KC-135 is the first legacy aircraft to undergo the $990 million upgrade, other aircraft - C-5 Galaxy, KC-10 Extender and C-17 Globemaster III -- were considered before the Stratotanker. "The KC-135 has a history of being first when it comes to legacy airplanes," Mr. Guttery said. "The Global Air Traffic Management program is the second major avionics upgrade to the KC-135 suite and we had such a good record of getting the modification on contract and having a successful program, once again the KC-135 was asked to be first of the legacy airplanes." Colonel Torick said modifications of this size are almost always performed at a product center. "So it is pretty impressive an air logistics center was able to do this modification and do it this successfully," the colonel said.