To help maintainers learn the new avionics modernization program upgrades on the C-5 Galaxy aircraft they will be fixing, Air Mobility Command and Air Education and Training Command commissioned a special simulator to train them. Called the Combined Avionics Systems Trainer, the simulator provides hands-on experience trouble-shooting a problem, eliminating the need to train on real airplanes. MSgt. Mark Ruehr, C-5 trainer development team chief, said: “The problem with working on an actual aircraft is the inability to break something so students can learn how to fix it. We can’t cut a wire on a plane just for training purposes.” CAST supports both AMP and pre-AMP systems and should be available for current maintainers this month and for technical school students by November.
SDA’s Next Phase of Data Transport Satellites on Hold
June 30, 2025
The long-term future of one of the Space Development Agency’s two satellite constellations is on hold as officials study the options for replacing a planned “data transport layer” with one or more commercial solutions. President Trump’s proposed 2026 defense budget...