Look for more stories by veteran reporter Barrie Barber about Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its economic impact on southwest Ohio.
Air Force C-17 pilots and load masters will be able to train at Wright-Patterson with the addition of a new weapon systems training center, according to Boeing.
The center was part of a $44 million contract to build weapon systems trainers at three military bases, Boeing said. The individual cost of the Wright-Patterson system was not released.
The center will allow crews to learn how to use mission computers and train on a flight simulator, among other capabilities, according to Tracy Mead, C-17 Aircrew Training Systems program manager at Boeing.
“Basically, we delivered and installed everything,” Mead said.
The system can link in with other weapons system trainers across the Air Force for cross-mission training, Boeing said. Under the contract, the aerospace giant also will deliver weapon systems trainers to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., and Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.
A separate $29 million award will deliver trainers next year to C-17 squadrons at Air National Guard bases in Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the company.
Wright-Patterson is home to the Air Force Reserve 445th Airlift Wing, which has nine C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets and about 2,000 airmen. The unit began receiving the C-17 in 2011 to replace the aging C-5 Galaxy.
The 445th Airlift Wing flies passenger and cargo missions around the world.
Wright-Patterson also is home to the Air Force C-17 program office.
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