Story ID: 
Rockwell Collins To Acquire Airshow
By: Stephen Pope
Caption: In a move that should reap significant rewards for the buyer, Rockwell Collins has announced plans to buy Airshow, the Tustin, Calif.
Word Count: 166
In a move that should reap significant rewards for the buyer, Rockwell Collins has announced plans to buy Airshow, the Tustin, Calif. maker of cabin information systems, for $160 million. The acquisition from Airshow parent Acterna, a maker of communications test equipment, is anticipated to give Collins a more solid foothold in business aviation and airline in-flight-entertainment markets. Clay Jones, president, CEO and now chairman of Rockwell Collins of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said the deal would allow the company to provide integrated products “that bridge the flight deck and cabin.” Airshow produces a line of moving-map cabin displays, audio/video systems and airborne satellite television receivers, among other products. This most recent Collins acquisition did not overly surprise analysts, who in the last five years have watched the company buy eight smaller companies and, most recently, split from its Rockwell Automation division into a separate standalone entity. When the deal closes, expected in the fourth quarter, Airshow’s 330 employees will be merged under the Rockwell Collins umbrella.