In a press release dated August 4, 2003, it was announced that the U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $285-million contract to establish and operate four F-15E Mission Training Centers. The long-term services contract will run from August 2003 through 2016.
Establishment of the F-15E Mission Training Centers is the next step in the Air Force’s Distributed Mission Training program, which will allow Air Force pilots in flight simulators at one location to train with pilots at other locations hundreds, and even thousands, of miles away. This innovative training concept gives the Air Force enhanced simulator training as a realistic supplement to flight training.
Under the contract, training centers will be established at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Elmendorf AFB in Alaska, Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, in England. Each center will be equipped with two systems with the exception of the North Carolina base, which will have four systems installed. There is also an option for two additional systems at RAF Lakenheath. The first system to be delivered under the contract will be to Mountain Home in early 2006.
"This is a great victory for the Boeing training systems team," says Keith Hertzenberg, vice president and general manager of Training Systems and Services, Aerospace Support, for Boeing. "The Air Force’s visionary approach to Distributed Mission Training has proven itself during recent world events. The training process mirrors the way our nation’s warfighters fly actual combat missions and has allowed the Air Force to enhance pilot capabilities through realistic, integrated training."
As the prime contractor for the program, Boeing is responsible for the design, development, construction, and integration of the Mission Training Centers. Boeing will provide the simulators, the manned combat station, an advanced visual system, the network system, and all interfaces. Subcontractor Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics Systems and Services will provide the instructor operating station, databases, and synthetic environment augmentation, while Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) will provided the briefing and debriefing stations, as well as contributing to the synthetic environment augmentation.
The total Distributed Mission Training program will eventually incorporate most Air Force weapons systems, including the F-16, the A-10, and the F-15C. Future growth could include C-5, C-17, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army weapons systems.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $25-billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.
For more information contact Tom LaRock at (314) 232-0201, or via e-mail at thomas.e.larock@boeing.com. The company’s Web site is [www.boeing.com].
