Military Procurement International Vol. 19, No. 7, April 1, 2009
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AUSTRALIA
Wedgetail Operational Flight Trainer
On March 10, Boeing announced that it had delivered an Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) for the Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program to the Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Williamtown.
The motion-based flight simulator was designed, built and installed by Thales and managed under a subcontract by Boeing Defence Australia. The OFT is customised to account for the unique characteristics of the Wedgetail AEW&C system, including controls for the communications, aerial refuelling and Electronic Warfare Self-Protection (EWSP) systems.
According to Maureen Dougherty, Boeing Vice President for AEW&C Programs, “Delivering the OFT is a major step forward in the program because it enables the training of RAAF pilots in anticipation of delivery of the first two [of six] Wedgetail aircraft later this year.”