Huntsville, we made contact: Collins Aerospace demonstrates new RapidEdge mission system solution

In January, Collins Aerospace showcased the capabilities of its new RapidEdge™ Mission System solution in support of operations for Air Launched Effects (ALE), a crucial piece of the future armed reconnaissance aircraft (FARA) ecosystem.

During the demonstration, Collins’ hardware located in a lab in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was connected to hardware located at the company’s new Customer Experience Center in Huntsville!

ALE is a drone consisting of an air vehicle, payloads and a mission system within the Army Aviation’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) fleet.

The RapidEdge Mission System is the brain of the system and includes radios for communication, solutions for handling multiple levels of classified data, mission computing, and ALE’s self-directed behaviors.

The RapidEdge™ Mission System performed flawlessly and communicated through a cross-domain multi-level security solution. The Mission System empowered multiple ALEs to act as a cooperative team with complementary capabilities while simultaneously reducing pilot workload.

The RapidEdge™ Mission System combines small form factor mission computers and datalinks to enable proactive autonomy. The open system architecture also seamlessly integrated multiple payloads and datalinks.

“The Customer Experience Center in Huntsville allows Collins Aerospace and industry partners to bring state-of-the-art technology to Army Aviation’s front door,” said a spokesperson for Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. “One way we do this is by connecting demonstration labs from around the country, including our ALE technology from Cedar Rapids to Huntsville.

“Customers can easily experience innovations and provide feedback.”

Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager, Integrated Solutions for Collins Aerospace said, “We designed our RapidEdge™ Mission System solution for this market with a robust and resilient open systems approach at a high technological and manufacturing readiness level. The offering is primed to meet the Army’s aggressive program schedule while delivering a critical capability to the warfighter.”