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02 Jun 15. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew its first Boeing [NYSE: BA]-built C-17A Globemaster III equipped with a new advanced satellite communication (SATCOM) and imagery display system, providing the flight crew and passengers with unprecedented situational awareness. Boeing installed the high-speed SATCOM system to support the RAAF’s ‘Plan Jericho,’ an initiative to transform the Australian military into an integrated, networked force able to deliver air power in all operating environments. Boeing has been executing and supporting programs to network Australian defense forces for many years. According to Group Captain Robert Chipman, director, Plan Jericho, the C-17 system allows personnel on the aircraft to receive live en route updates and video from their destination, such as enemy positions or disaster damaged areas, right up to the point of insertion.
“The systems may also support other kinds of operations such as aeromedical evacuations by giving medical staff on board the ability to video conference with specialists on the ground,” said Chipman.
Applications enabled by the antenna include video teleconferencing, instant messaging, e-mail, transfer of large graphics files, voice and radio over internet protocol and common operating picture capability.
“A lot can change between the time a C-17 takes off and when it arrives at its destination,” said Michael Pokorny, a Boeing C-17 project manager. “These upgrades allow the crew to send and receive mission-critical information as easily as if they were in an office.”
The RAAF currently has six C-17s with an additional two aircraft on order.
03 Jun 15. IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that DynCorp International (DI) has upgraded its use of IFS Applications™ to support ongoing U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) operational projects in aviation maintenance deployed within Afghanistan.
DynCorp International is a leading global services provider that supports several DoD contracts. The company is now using IFS Applications to provide additional capabilities on two of their aviation programs supporting the transition of capabilities to Afghan national organisations.
The IFS Fleet and Asset Management solution, which includes supply chain capabilities to support helicopter maintenance, helps DI team members manage a fleet of more than 100 aircraft. The solution then interfaces back to several of DI’s forward maintenance worksites with advanced supply depot and technician data.
01 Jun 15. US Navy’s PCU Gerald R. Ford sailors ready to operate EMALS. Sailors from the pre-commissioning unit (PCU) of the US Navy aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) have completed specialised training and are now ready to operate and maintain the navy’s newest aircraft launch system. With the support of General Atomics (GA), Naval Air and Naval Sea System Commands developed a complete training programme for Ford’s PCU Air Department catapult and arresting gear V-2 division leadership, and sailors who with take part in systems testing. The electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) shipboard testing is expected to begin later this year.
EMALS training manager Terry Hotz said, “EMALS is such a leap in technology, using high voltage electromagnetic power rather than the steam that powers the legacy catapults, and extra caution and respect must be exercised during maintenance operations to ensure the safety of personnel. The first crew graduated from the GA-led course in Rancho Bernardo, California in October last year, while the two additional PCU groups completed training sessions at the full-scale EMALS system functional demonstration site at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey earlier this year.
In addition, CVN 78 will be performing a series of tests launching dead-loads, or weighted sleds representat