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Grissom cuts costs, ribbon with reserve's first BOWST

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mark R. W. Orders-Woempner
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  Called the "business end" of a KC-135 Stratotanker, the boom pod in the rear of the jet is where aerial refueling takes place, and that business just got a lot more economical at Grissom.

Grissom leadership joined with members of the Grissom Community Council, a congressional representative and Airmen in a ribbon-cutting ceremony here to officially open a new boom operator weapons system trainer, or BOWST, Sept. 27.

"This is a unique opportunity for Grissom," said Col. Paul Weimer, 434th Maintenance Group commander, who led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Meredith Perks, a region director for Sen. Joe Donnelly's office also took part in the event.

Grissom is the first Air Force Reserve Command base to have a BOWST, which will allow KC-135 Stratotanker boom operators to conduct vital training in a virtual environment.

A boom operator is an important part of a KC-135's three-person aircrew as they are the Airman that guides the physical connection between the tanker and the receiver aircraft to transfer fuel during an aerial refueling process.

Grissom's BOWST, which cost approximately $3 million, will provide significant benefits by reducing the required number of flight hours in a KC-135 Stratotanker for boom operators to maintain training and currency, said Gary Beebe, a site manager with a contract company who operates and maintains Grissom's BOWST and KC-135 cockpit simulator.

"It's a money saver, because it cost about $300 per hour to run the BOWST, and it costs almost $7,000 an hour to fly the airplane," explained Beebe. "So, it's almost a 20:1 ratio, and it has cut down on the number of flying sorties that it takes to get a boom operator initially qualified."

According to initial Air Force projections, the reduction in flight training will save Grissom an estimated $3 million per year.

On top of the cost-saving benefits, Grissom's BOWST also allows for enhanced training with emergency procedures and makes it easier for boom operators to train on all types of receivers.

"It allows us to train boom operators in abnormal and emergency processes that we can't safely recreate in the air," said Beebe. "You also don't have to fly to get to a different receiver; just flip a switch and a fighter becomes a C-17."

While Grissom's BOWST is already training boom operators, its capabilities are set to grow and become even more advantageous, he added.

In the near future, Grissom's BOWST will be connected with the base's cockpit simulator, with inputs in one affecting the other. Long-run, both of Grissom's KC-135 simulators will be able to link with other Air Force simulators around the world allowing for receiver and tanker crews to perform complete aerial refueling operations in a virtual environment.

"This is the first step toward a future where a pilot at Charleston (Air Force Base, S.C.) will get in their simulator, we will get in ours, and an entire mission will be performed over a secure Internet connection with the aerodynamic effects just as if it were really happening," elaborated Beebe.

Grissom leadership also anticipates the base's BOWST will train boom operators from other regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard KC-135 units, just as it has KC-135 pilots in the cockpit simulator. Since 2005, Grissom has trained nearly 2,400 pilots from other units.

Grissom's host unit, the 434th Air Refueling Wing, is the largest KC-135 unit in the AFRC. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

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Public Affairs Staff

Material contained on the Official Grissom Air Reserve Base Internet Web Site is written and produced by members of the 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office. The award-winning staff includes:

Ben Mota
Chief, public affairs

Maj. Elias Zani
Public affairs officer

Master Sgt. Wendy Day
Staff writer

Tech. Sgt. Alexa Culbert
Staff writer

Senior Airman Elise Faurote
Staff writer

Senior Airman Benjamin Cowles
Staff writer