Northrop Grumman recently opened a new AC-208 Training Center of Excellence at Meacham Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. The 5,000 sq ft facility is designed to provide partner nations with instructional classroom activities and initial aircrew and maintenance training on the Northrop Grumman modified AC-208 Eliminator aircraft. The integrated training program includes a range of services from initial site set-up, onsite training and instructional classroom activities, mission system and platform maintenance and operations. Training instructors have extensive subject matter expertise and international field service experience.The initial four-month training sessions will include pilot and mission system operator training. Upon graduation, the aircrew will be fully trained to operate the AC-208 Eliminator.
The modified AC-208 Eliminator light attack aircraft offers a highly-capable and cost-effective reconnaissance and ground attack capability and is designed to find, fix, identify, track, target, and engage emerging and time-sensitive targets. Equipped with 2.75 in guided rockets and/or AGM-114 Hellfire missile payload, it features an electro-optical, laser-equipped targeting system and air-to-ground and air-to-air communications to provide day and night reconnaissance capabilities for the crew.
“The opening of the AC-208 Training Center of Excellence demonstrates Northrop Grumman’s ongoing commitment to our full-service Contractor Logistic Services (CLS) program which enables partner nations to achieve proficiency and critical capabilities,” said Cary Ralston, vice president and general manager, defense electronic systems, Northrop Grumman. “Our experienced and talented personnel have been providing a variety of CLS services including maintenance and operations training for over 15 years.”