Collins Aerospace to Update Air Force B-52 Wheel & Brake System

The U.S. Air Force has selected a Raytheon Technologies‘ (NYSE: RTX) Collins Aerospace business to replace the wheel and brake system of 77 B-52 Stratofortress bombers as part of the branch’s fleet retrofit program.

Collins said Wednesday it will use the Duracarb carbon disk technology to produce a new aircraft braking system for the branch’s long-range heavy bomber aircraft.

The heat sink material is designed to handle high loads of thermal energy when pilots need to stop a fully loaded plane.

Ajay Mahajan, vice president for landing systems at Collins Aerospace, said the business will work to provide the Air Force a technology insertion system to help extend the B-52 fleet’s operational life for three more decades.

Collins’ previous collaboration with USAF and the Defense Logistics Agency earned the government-industry team a 2020 Secretary of Defense Performance Based Logistics Award.