Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp., announced that the company has been awarded a sole-source $700 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the delta qualification, production and fielding of a next generation ejection seat for various Air Force aircraft.
Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed October 22, 2030. The first delivery order focuses on outfitting the US Air Force (USAF) fleet of Boeing F-15s with the ACES 5 ejection seat.
ACES 5 is Collins Aerospace’s next-generation ejection seat and features enhanced head, neck, arm and leg flail prevention, in addition to a load-compensating catapult based on the occupant’s weight. ACES 5 reduces overall ejection-related major injuries to less than 5 percent and ejection-related spinal injuries to less than 1 percent. Collins Aerospace ACES 5 seat provides MIL-HDBK-516C safety while meeting Government requirements to include a qualification schedule planned within Air Force program objectives and equal or lower life cycle costs. Most recently, the seat was selected for the U.S. Air Force’s T-7A Red Hawk trainer.
“Collins Aerospace continues to leverage innovative technologies to keep aircrew safe, reduce maintenance costs, and improve operational performance,” said Heather Robertson, vice president & general manager, Collins Aerospace.
“Our goal is to provide the best-performing ejection seat exceeding the most stringent safety requirements in the world today. The ACES 5 is in a class of its own and we couldn’t be more excited to begin fielding it while continuing the proud legacy of the ACES Family of Systems,” she added.
Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. With 2019 net sales of approximately $26 billion, the business has 78,000 employees across more than 300 locations globally. It is one of the four businesses that form Raytheon Technologies.
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises four industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity.
The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
