Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      CAE USA the primary contractor for the KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew training system, recently received authorization to operate on the Air Force’s Distributed Training Center Network. This means the KC-135 Stratotanker simulators will be connected to other mobility Air Force platforms allowing for live, virtual-constructive training between different bases. (Courtesy Photo Hunter Register)Simulator
                        
                        
                        CAE USA the primary contractor for the KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew training system, recently received authorization to operate on the Air Force’s Distributed Training Center Network. This means the KC-135 Stratotanker simulators will be connected to other mobility Air Force platforms allowing for live, virtual-constructive training between different bases. (Courtesy Photo Hunter Register)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AMC, industry partner to enhance virtual trainingPublished April 6, 2017
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell
                    
                    
                    92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
            **FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --**Canadian Aviation Electronics USA, the primary contractor for the KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew training system, recently received authorization to operate on the Air Force’s Distributed Training Center Network.KC-135 Stratotanker simulators will now be connected to other Air Force mobility platforms allowing for live, virtual-constructive training between different bases.“We currently have two simulators where we can link the two together to perform formation flights,” said Maj. Brian Sikkema, the 92nd Operations Support Squadron chief of aircrew training. “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. The next step is tying our simulators to a server that all the other Air Force simulators are tied to.” The change makes it possible for the flight simulators to be connected to, and work in unison with, the boom operator simulator as well as other aircraft simulators from bases around the world. This includes linking boom operator and pilot simulators to enhance mid-air refueling training. “This new capability allows us to push toward being able to conduct virtual flag exercises,” Sikkema said. “It allows us to train exactly how we would fight and take out a lot of the restrictions. It’s the same with threat reactions, in the current training environment, they simulate threats by saying, ‘you got taken out,’ where as in the virtual world, you can put those threats out there and see if you are getting shot at in the visuals. This is eventually what everything is moving toward.”There are things that can be done in the simulator than cannot be done in the plane because of restrictions such as airspace and safety precautions. This includes the capability of changing air fields, planned system failures and the ability to do crisis actions that would not be safe to do in a real plane in order to train on surviving, said Sikkema. “A major advantage of the simulators is cost,” Sikkema said. “The cost to fly a KC-135 Stratotanker is hard to nail down, but I would say a conservative estimate is roughly $8,000 an hour. The cost to operate the simulators is only about $500 an hour.”The first base to receive networked capabilities is Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, followed by Fairchild AFB; March Air Reserve Base, California; Grissom ARB, Indiana; and MacDill AFB, Florida.More than 3,500 KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew members are trained annually on the CAE aircrew training system, which enhances the Air Force’s air refueling capabilities.“Our effort here is for virtual air refueling,” said Clifford Sanchez, the Air Mobility Command KC-135 Stratotanker aircrew training system manager. “We are not only training ourselves more, but we are providing a training service for other airplanes. We are building a pretty small piece here, but this is worldwide; all of the Department of Defense is going to be on the network in the years to come.” The goal of making the changes to the simulators is to be able to use the simulators for all training and only fly the KC-135 Stratotanker when it’s absolutely necessary, said Sanchez.training 



simulator 



KC-135 



aircrew 



Fairchild AFB 



Stratotanker 



92nd OSS 



AMC Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil