Boeing delivered the 28th and final C-17 simulator to the Air Force, completing the service’s Globemaster III aircrew training network with a sim for the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing. “Receiving our simulator avoids sending our local crews on temporary duty at other bases around the country to keep up their flying certifications,” Lt. Col. John Poland of the 167th AW said in a company release. Boeing delivered the first C-17 simulator to JB Charleston, S.C., in 1992, and has since constructed 14 training centers for the Air Force, according to the company. “Boeing’s simulator enables greater training efficiency while reducing aircraft operating costs and increasing the readiness of our servicemen and servicewomen,” added Poland. The company has built international centers for C-17 customers Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and ?the United Kingdom, and is working on a fourth for India. The 167th AW completed a conversion from the C-5 to the C-17 earlier this year.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.