Photo By Master Sgt. Justin Brown | Major Gen. General Bobby Ginn, Jr., the Adjutant General of Mississippi; Congressman...... read more read more
KEY FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Miss. -- The 186th Air Refueling Wing celebrated the long-awaited return of the KC-135 Flight Simulator, today, by hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to recognize the hard work and dedication of those who were instrumental in bringing the aircrew training system back to the base.
186th ARW Commander Colonel Cynthia Smith welcomed attendees and provided opening remarks.
“The men and women of the 186th share in my excitement as we mark this occasion alongside so many of our distinguished guests and friends,” said Smith. “We need our aircrew to be comfortable with challenging missions in contested environments. The current threat landscape requires we maintain this level of readiness to fulfill our part of the National Defense Strategy.”
In the early 1990s, the 186th ARW was one of the first-ever Air National Guard units to receive a KC-135 non-motion flight simulator. The base later upgraded to a full-motion version in 1999 which was relocated in 2009 as a result of Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) actions.
Former Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper, who was a keynote speaker, said, “Congratulations to the men and women of the 186th Air Refueling Wing. It was a total team effort, and I especially want to thank Congressman Michael Guest for staying on this and bringing the ‘sim’ home. The 186th stands for excellence!”
Keynote speaker, Congressman Michael Guest, stated, “I was honored to attend and speak at the KC-135 simulator ribbon cutting at Key Field in Meridian. The 186th Air Refueling Wing, based at Key Field, plays a critical role in protecting our national defense. I am proud to represent them as they secure our freedom across the globe.”
Closing out the ceremony, newly appointed Adjutant General for Mississippi, Major Bobby Ginn, Jr. provided closing remarks.
“We began the fight to get the simulators to Meridian well over 10 years ago, and I’m proud to say that day has come,” said Ginn. “We wouldn’t have gotten here without the all the hard work from everyone here at the 186th and the Meridian community and very importantly, with the help of our Federal delegation.”
186 ARW aircrew and others from across the country will train on the operational flight training simulator which will greatly enhance mission readiness and provide $8 million flight hour savings while only costing $1 million to operate.
The 186th Air Refueling Wing provides over 1,100 personnel and eight KC-135R aircraft to Air Mobility Command for worldwide operations. Additional units at Key Field include the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron, and the 186th Air Operations Group.
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2024 09:09 |
| Story ID: | 478189 |
| Location: | MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, KC-135 Flight Simulator Returns to Key Field, by Maj. Sabrina Dalton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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