The US Air Force is pushing ahead with plans to acquire networked aircraft simulators under innovative "fee forservice" contracts. Air Combat Command commander Gen Richard Hawley says the Distributed Mission Training (DMT) initiative is key to plans to reorganise the USAF into 10 "expeditionary aerospace forces [EAFs]".
The EAF concept is intended to ease the impact on USAF personnel of repeated deployments. At any given time, Hawley says, two EAFs will carry the entire contingency workload, while two will be working up. As each EAF brings together units from different locations, networked simulators will be needed "-to link them together in a synthetic environment to develop tactics and procedures and practice rules of engagement", he says.
Under the DMT programme, the USAF has already awarded Boeing a contract to build and operate F-15C training centres, each equipped with four networked simulators. The first two are "on track" for installation in March and June, respectively, says Boeing, and will be used to evaluate the DMT concept. The USAF will pay for training time in the Boeing-owned devices.
The air force plans to award a contract by mid-1999 for similar industry-funded F-16 mission training centres. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Systems will be among the bidders. Hawley says the first F-16 centre should be operational by August 2001 and he wants all USAF combat units in the USA, Europe and the Pacific networked by 2006.
Under the DMT initiative, the USAF also plans to acquire additional E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) crew trainers and to network these and existing AWACS simulators with the F-15 and F-16 devices.
Source: Flight International
