Scott Nicholas
CAE‘s U.S. subsidiary has received authorization from the U.S. Air Force to connect company-built KC-135 Stratotanker simulators to the service branch’s Distributed Training Center Network.
The Air Force said Thursday CAE USA can link the KC-135 aircrew training system with other mobility platforms designed to support virtual-constructive training across multiple Air Force bases.
“What we are moving to next, and what the Air Force is moving to as a whole, is to bring more training online to the virtual world,” said Maj. Brian Sikkema, chief of aircrew training at 92nd Operations Support Squadron.
“The next step is tying our simulators to a server that all the other Air Force simulators are tied to,” Sikkema added.
The service branch intends for its pilot simulators to sync with other aircraft training platforms and the boom operator simulator to help boost mid-air refueling training efforts.
CAE’s KC-135 aircrew training system trains more than 3,500 airmen each year, the Air Force noted.
The Air Mobility Command aims to update the simulator to support all types of training.
