Boeing Provides Training to NATO

The Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) program will soon train C-17 aircrews at Boeing’s [NYSE: BA] C-17 International Training Centre (ITC) in the United Kingdom under a new $8 million contract.

SAC is comprised of ten NATO countries and two NATO Partnership for Peace countries. The program will begin training its multinational aircrews early this year. Prior to this contract, the SAC program sent aircrews to the United States for training.

“Boeing met the customer need to have access to affordable, high-quality training for aircrews from smaller countries with limited resources,” said Larry Sisco, C-17 training program manager. “Having regional training is a big cost and time savings for the SAC Program.”

As part of the contract, the U.S. Air Force inspected and recognized Boeing’s C-17 training simulators at the ITC as being fully able to train C-17 aircrews. The ITC houses a weapons systems trainer, loadmaster station and an integrated maintenance procedure trainer.
“The U.S. Air Force gave us their stamp of approval,” Sisco said. “They were thrilled with our simulator capability and how concurrent the simulators are with the C-17 aircraft.”

On behalf of the SAC program, the NATO Airlift Management (NAM) Programme Office requested this capability to meet the requirements of nations who make up this multinational program. In addition, the NAM Programme Office has ownership and is responsible for acquiring, managing and supporting NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability aircraft, including three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, that member nations can call upon to fulfill national operational needs.

“This contract to deliver training to NATO forces demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to the C-17 fleet and a truly global approach to our training service,” said Joanne Finch, head of Boeing Defense United Kingdom Training Systems and Government Services.”

Australia Flies RAAF’s First C-17 Equipped with Advanced Network Access

The Australian RAAF's first C-17-equipped Advanced Network Access enables real-time video communications for the enhanced mission capability vision for its networked air force.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew its first Boeing-built C-17A Globemaster III equipped with a new advanced satellite communication (SATCOM) and imagery display system, providing the flight crew and passengers with unprecedented situational awareness.

Boeing installed the high-speed SATCOM system to support the RAAF’s ‘Plan Jericho,’ an initiative to transform the Australian military into an integrated, networked force able to deliver air power in all operating environments. Boeing has been executing and supporting programs to network Australian defense forces for many years.

According to Group Captain Robert Chipman, director, Plan Jericho, the C-17 system allows personnel on the aircraft to receive live en route updates and video from their destination, such as enemy positions or disaster damaged areas, right up to the point of insertion.

“The systems may also support other kinds of operations such as aeromedical evacuations by giving medical staff on board the ability to video conference with specialists on the ground,” said Chipman.

Applications enabled by the antenna include video teleconferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, transfer of large graphics files, voice and radio over Internet protocol and common operating picture capability.

“A lot can change between the time a C-17 takes off and when it arrives at its destination,” said Michael Pokorny, a Boeing C-17 project manager. “These upgrades allow the crew to send and receive mission-critical information as easily as if they were in an office.”

The RAAF currently has six C-17s with an additional two aircraft on order.