New partnership to equip Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft with ADS-B In

Image: Boeing

The U.S.-based Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services, in collaboration with Innovative Aerosystems and ACSS, launched the development of a retrofit solution to equip Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft with ADS-B In traffic situational awareness technology. The solution is expected to be available for installation by early 2027.

The program involves the installation of ACSS’s SafeRoute system, which integrates into new flat-panel displays from Innovative Aerosystems. This approach avoids a cluttered cockpit with additional instruments and delivers traffic data directly to the primary flight displays. Equipment installation is planned to coincide with scheduled heavy maintenance checks, eliminating the need for additional aircraft downtime.

Unlike the ADS-B Out standard, which is mandatory in many regions, ADS-B In technology enables the reception of traffic data directly on board the aircraft. U.S. authorities are seeking to make this technology mandatory as well, following a mid-air collision between a PSA Airlines jet and an Army helicopter in January 2025 near Washington, D.C.

“Airborne’s technical expertise, combined with ATSG’s broader platform, allows us to deliver programs like this in a way that reduces complexity, minimizes downtime, and creates immediate and long-term value,” said Todd France, Chief Commercial Strategy Officer of Airborne’s parent company, ATSG.

Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is currently the world’s largest lessor of converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft. It is active in Central Asia, where it has supplied Boeing 767s to the Uzbek carrier My Freighter and Georgian airlines Camex and Georgian Airways. According to CentralAsia+Aero estimates, there are more than 30 Boeing 767s and ten Boeing 757s currently in operation in both passenger and cargo configurations across Central Asia and the South Caucasus.