RTX-owned Collins Aerospace has secured a $20.3 million contract to upgrade the US Navy’s E-6B Mercury airborne command and communications relay aircraft.
The E-6B functions as a strategic “doomsday aircraft,” conducting TACAMO missions to maintain command-and-control links between national leadership and military forces in extreme scenarios, including nuclear conflict.
The contract calls for Collins to provide three full-rate production High-Power Transmit Set Modernization kits, which will significantly enhance the platform’s strategic communications by replacing aging transmitters, radios, and associated systems to improve reliability and mission continuity.
Although specific technical details remain classified, the Department of Defense stated in a 2024 pre-solicitation notice that Collins is the only known vendor with the qualifications and capabilities required to deliver the HPTS-M solution.
Contract execution will take place at Collins’ Richardson, Texas, facility, with work expected to conclude by June 2027 under the supervision of Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland.
The award follows the Navy’s move in 2025 to broaden training for E-6B pilots, with expanded courses based in Oklahoma, home to the majority of the Mercury fleet.
The Navy has also announced the E-130J as the designated successor to the E-6B TACAMO aircraft. Based on the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, the service intends to introduce nine E-130J aircraft into service by 2028.
Separately, the US Air Force continues development of a replacement for its Cold War-era E-4B airborne command post fleet. The service confirmed that four next-generation aircraft, designated E-4C, are now progressing through various stages of development.
