Astronautics Supplies RoadRunner EFI Upgrade For C/KC-130T Aircraft to U.S. Navy

Astronautics Corporation of America is providing its AFI4700 RoadRunner electronic flight instrument (EFI) to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Tactical Airlift Program Office (PMA-207) in Patuxent River, Maryland under their C/KC-130T Global Positioning System Performance Based Navigation Upgrade program. 

The upgrade enables PMA-207 to mitigate avionics obsolescence and improve operational safety across all their C/KC-130T variants with Astronautics’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technical standard order (TSO) approved, Design Assurance Level A (DAL A) EFI.

Astronautics’ RoadRunner EFI is a commercial off-the-shelf, form-fit replacement to the attitude director indicator (ADI) and horizontal situation indicator (HSI) for the C/KC-130T aircraft. 

The RoadRunner combines ADI and HSI functionality into a single digital unit, replacing four analog primary flight instruments with two digital primary flight instruments—one for the pilot and one for the co-pilot—with minimal structural changes to the cockpit.

“Astronautics’ RoadRunner EFI is providing PMA-207 with a timely and easy-to-install upgrade for their C/KC-130T fleet,” said Eyton Zelazo, Astronautics director of displays and cockpit integration. 

Zelazo continued, “Not only is the RoadRunner extending the C/KC-130T lifecycle and standardizing instrumentation across the variants, but it is also enabling compliance with performance-based navigation certification and modernizing the primary flight instrument to allow for area navigation and required navigation performance applications, thereby improving operational safety for flight crews.”

As part of the IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract, Astronautics is supplying PMA-207 with two RoadRunner EFIs per aircraft, along with a customized, certified flight application and onsite support for ground and flight testing. 

To date, Astronautics has provided PMA-207 with 17 RoadRunner EFIs, out of an anticipated 74 units PMA-207 will order through 2027 for retrofit of 27 C/KC-130T aircraft, including spares.

The C/KC-130T are multi-mission medium lift tactical transport/tanker aircraft used for airlift operations, transport of personnel or cargo and air-to-air or air-delivered ground refueling.