The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force today celebrated the opening of the new F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Suffolk, United Kingdom. The center began operations in April 2008 and has supported approximately 350 training missions so far while maintaining a 100 percent availability rate. It provides aircrews with high-fidelity, simulator-based training without the material and personnel costs and environmental issues associated with training on operational aircraft.

"The MTC provides a forum where pilots are able to 'train as they fight' on a daily basis," said Kay Grabanski, F-15E MTC program manager for Boeing. "It is a highly realistic training system that allows pilots to sharpen their skills without putting themselves in harm's way or adding wear and tear to their aircraft."

The training center provides two high-fidelity, dual-cockpit F-15E simulators, each with a 360-degree visual system and a robust synthetic environment, as well as instructor/operator and brief/debrief stations. The simulators, enhanced with head-tracked area-of-interest display visual systems, can be operated individually or linked to provide two- or four-ship training within the MTC. They also can be linked locally with two medium-fidelity F-15E Manned Combat Stations to allow local four-ship training. The Lakenheath MTC will join the Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) training network in 2009.

"The Boeing-operated center provides an important training capability that will help ensure operational readiness for the U.S. Air Force," said Mike Kurth, managing director, Boeing Defence UK. "The 48th Fighter Wing will use the system for introductory, operational and continuation training of all F-15E squadrons."

Boeing supports this training capability with several key products, including the Visual Integrated Display System, Manned Combat Stations and the Big Tac Combat Environment Server. Boeing also provides the key network elements to enable local and long-haul networked training. Lockheed Martin provides the instructor/operator station, the non-combatant natural environment system and the electro-optical/infrared imaging system, along with geographic databases. SAIC provides the brief/debrief station.

Under the F-15E MTC contract, Boeing has delivered two F-15E MTCs to two other sites -- Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

Boeing has delivered and currently operates six Air Force F-15C MTCs around the world and is the prime contractor for the F-15E and F-16 MTC contracts. Boeing also is integrating the F-22 Raptor into the DMO training network.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of Military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.