BOHEMIA, N.Y., April 18 (UPI) -- ITT Exelis has been contracted to supply anti-jam GPS antennas for use on the U.S. Air Force's future KC-46 aerial refueling tanker.
The contract was issued by Raytheon. The contract's value, performance period and other details weren't disclosed.
Exelis' N79 Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna guards against deliberate jamming and unintentional interference of timing signals when integrated with anti-jam GPS systems, among them Raytheon Navshield and Advanced Digital Antenna Production systems.
"For the U.S. Air Force to perform its global power and global reach missions, a reliable air-to-air refueling capability is required," said Exelis Senior Director of Programs for Antennas, Sensors and Microelectronics Paul Eyring.
"The Exelis CRPA helps mitigate signals that interfere with aircraft systems and thus helps the KC-46 perform its fuel delivery mission, keeping aircraft airborne."
Boeing's KC-46 is based on the 767 commercial aircraft and was chosen in 2011 by the U.S. Air Force to replace its fleet of aging KC-135s.
Exelis' anti-jam GPS antennas are operational on aircraft and ships of the U.S. military and allied nations.
