WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has awarded CAE USA a contract to provide training services for C-130H aircrew, according to a Sept. 26 service announcement.
The potential eight-year contract is valued at nearly $200 million and will begin Oct. 1. It comes with a one-year base period and seven additional option years.
The company was a subcontractor on the training program for almost 20 years.
“[W]inning the C-130 Aircrew Training System program to support the United States Air Force is a significant achievement and further testament to CAE’s experience as the world’s leading provider of training systems and services for the enduring C-130 Hercules aircraft,” said Ray Duquette, the general manager and president of CAE USA.
Replacing Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor, CAE will be responsible for providing classroom and simulator instruction, training device modifications and upgrades, systems engineering support, program management, contract logistics support, and management of the C-130H Training Systems Support Center at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.
The formal training unit for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard C-130H training is based at Little Rock AFB, but is also provided at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Minneapolis Air National Guard Base, Minnesota; and Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Each year, more than 11,000 crew members from the U.S. Air Force, other U.S. military services and over 30 other countries are trained under the C-130H ATS program.
Daniel Cebul is an editorial fellow and general assignments writer for Defense News, C4ISRNET, Fifth Domain and Federal Times.
