Boeing and U.S. Air Force Open F/A-22 Training Facility at Tyndall AFB
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force today celebrated the opening of a new F/A-22 maintenance training facility at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., with a ribbon cutting and site dedication ceremony.
Tyndall will be the first U.S. Air Force Base set up for both F/A-22 pilot and maintenance training. Tyndall's 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 4, will be responsible for the maintenance training effort, and the 43rd Fighter Squadron will conduct pilot training.
"This accomplishment was made possible by outstanding teamwork between the Air Force and our contractor team, " said Pamela Valdez, Boeing training system manager. "Our team has worked extremely hard to ensure Tyndall's training facility is state-of-the-art."
In September, Boeing and its subcontractors Encompass Corp. and Affiliated Engineers Inc., completed installation of five fully automated electronic classrooms and two maintenance training labs that are housed in an 8,000-square foot building addition at the base.
In the coming months, construction of a new 35,000-square foot academic/simulator building for pilot training, which will house three weapons and tactics trainer (WTT) classrooms, four full mission trainers (FMTs), six electronic classrooms and 20 electronic workbook stations. Boeing subcontractor L-3 Communications will install the WTTs and FMTs.
"Our vision is to incorporate more technology into the classrooms to educate tomorrow's air and space leaders," said Master Sgt. Wilson Edgell, 372nd Training Squadron Detachment 4 chief. "These classrooms are a huge step in making that vision a reality."
Teamed with Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney to design and build the F/A-22 for the U.S. Air Force, Boeing has lead responsibility for the training system, as well as for manufacturing the Raptor's wings and aft fuselage and integrating and testing its advanced avionics.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $23 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.
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