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Boeing to provide C-17 aircrew training |
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
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The Boeing Company has been awarded with a contract from USAF for the provision of a C-17 ATS.
The United States Air Force (USAF) has contracted aviation company Boeing to provide an aircrew training system (ATS) for its C-17 Globemaster III military airlifter.
The system will provide training, modeling and simulation services to air mobility command and air force reserves command C-17 crew members.
Boeing has developed nine continental C-17 ATS sites across the US, which it will operate and support. The company expects to open three more outside of the US by 2010, having recently been selected as the training provider for other international customers.
The ATS includes a weapons systems trainer (WST), which provides a highly realistic full-motion virtual simulator for pilot training.
"The Charleston WST will be the first Air Force trainer we deliver that has simulated avionics instead of physical aircraft avionics," said Tracy Mead, C-17 ATS programme manager at Boeing.
"We plan to upgrade all of the existing WSTs with this technology, which means that we will be able to return the aircraft avionics to the C-17 aircraft programme, allowing it to increase its spares inventory."
Originally developed by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 airlifter is currently operated by the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Canadian Forces, as well as USAF. Nato and Qatar have orders for the aircraft. |
